Arrest Me For Caring
by tarakayy
Summary: Katniss leaves her family in the mountains of Pennsylvania and moves to Savannah, Georgia for a job. There, she meets Cato, a police officer who lives with his younger brother. Together they work on dealing with their pasts to create a future. AU MODERN eventual Cato/Katniss Multiple POVs could be changed to M later due to language and content.
1. Chapter 1: Katniss

**This is my first fanfic. I'd appreciate any feedback possible as I'm still learning how to use this site and I'm not sure if I should continue with this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_The Hunger Games_****. All related ideas and characters belong to Suzanne Collins.**

CHAPTER ONE: Katniss

My little sister is married at twenty-one years old. I can't believe it! I still think of her as the little girl I helped raise and looked after as if she were my own. I couldn't be happier for her. Primrose married the man of her dreams, Rory Hawthorne, the son of my mother's best friend. The Hawthornes have always been like family to us but now they actually are.

It was truly a beautiful day. I was Prim's maid of honor and Gale, Rory's older brother and my best friend, gave her away. Ever since our fathers died in a car accident, almost fifteen years ago, Gale seemed to step into being the father figure for both of our younger siblings. Other than it being a perfect celebration due to the obvious joy radiating from Prim and Rory, another great outcome is that my ex-boyfriend, Peeta, never showed up.

Peeta and I were together for about nine months but, near the end, something had changed. He became aggressive and controlling so I broke it off, but he had a knack for always showing up where I was and I am glad to be moving away this weekend for my new job. So, with my mother moving in with Mrs. Hawthorne to help with Rory and Gale's younger siblings and giving our house to Prim and Rory, I found it to be the perfect opportunity to finally do something just for myself while my mom and sister both have people to take care of them while I'm not around.

* * *

Moving to Savannah, Georgia from the Appalachian mountains in Pennsylvania was a long drive, as well as the process of moving into my new apartment. The difference from mountains and wildlife to a busy southern beach town makes back home feel a world away, which is scary and refreshing all at once. Putting unpacking aside, once everything is moved in, I decide to go out and grab a bite to eat. I walk, unfortunately, because my truck is almost out of gas and I was too lazy to stop and refill when I pulled in and now the gas stations are closed. Considering how late it is, most places around won't be open other than the bars. I decide to duck into an Irish pub, about 7 blocks from the apartment, figuring they at least have fish and chips to order, hopefully. I end up sitting at the bar in the dark and smokey restaurant and luckily get offered a menu for dinner.

_'Bye Little-Duck! I love you and I am so happy for you!' I feel myself tearing up as I hug and kiss my little sister good-bye for who knows how long._

_'I love you, Kat! Please call and stay in contact while you're down there,' my sister begs._

_'I will. Mom, I love you and I'll talk to you soon,' I say as I feel two pairs of strong arms that can belong to none other than the eldest Hawthorne sons. 'Rory, Gale, I'm going to need to breathe soon!' I barely get out as I'm sandwiched in-between the two men._

_'Rory, you be good to my little Primmy and Gale, you make sure he keeps in line,' I mock stare them down into submission to my requests._

_Mrs. Hawthorn interjects, 'Katniss, don't you worry, I'll keep 'em both in line.' She then adds a wink in for good measure._

_'Yeah, Catnip, I promise we'll be good boys. You stay safe; we'll miss you and talk to you soon! Love you!'_

"Ma'am, did you know what you wanted to order?" The bartender looks at me and seems annoyed. I must have daydreamt longer than intended and he couldn't get my attention. Oops.

I end up ordering a burger and a beer to relax and avoid daydreaming too deeply as to stay alert to this world considering that I don't know anyone and should be a little more on my guard. But it was too late, as I was already oblivious to an older man, maybe in his thirties, eyeing me from the other end of the bar. Just like I was oblivious to the same man following me out of the door after I paid my bill.

"Where ya goin' pretty girl?" I heard a man slur from behind me.

Automatically, I felt my muscles coil and separated my keys through my fingers as well as feeling my boot blade burning against my calf, ready to be reached if necessary. I decide to keep walking, taking care to listen for his ungraceful footsteps following behind me, making sure to keep a solid distance.

"Well don't jus' say nothin' and keep shakin' that sexy lil' tail at me. Stop teasin'!" He continues to shout his drunk comments at me which make me feel on edge.

"Sir, I think you've had enough to drink, why don't you go back inside and call a cab." I decide to play nice, for now, which is rare because I have little tolerance for people like this. Figures that I would end up in this kind of mess my first night in town. Suddenly, I hear his footfalls speeding my direction and I spin around getting ready to strike. His hand goes to my throat and backs me into a dumpster but he's too drunk to steady himself so I'm able to throw my weight around and pin him down to the ground instead. I whip my knife out of my boot and hold it to his throat, taking care not to make it touch, just yet.

"Sir, I've been kind but you crossed the line," I breathe to him and I can see the sweat begin on his brow and the confusion written all over his face. I slightly wonder if he'll wet himself and the thought somewhat amuses me.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?" A gruff, authoritative voice calls from the direction of the bar we left and shines his flashlight our way. Shit, a cop. The first night I'm here and I get assaulted and have to deal with the cops. Why does my life go like this?

I slowly stand up and release my grasp on the drunk to face the police officer. He's tall with slightly long, dark hair and olive skin and looks to be maybe forty. "Miss, please put the knife away before I confiscate it." I do as told and he watches me with a curious glance while I place it back in my boot. "Sir, please stand up slowly and put your hands above your head on the dumpster," he says while walking cautiously towards us, removing cuffs from the back of his belt. "You are under arrest for public drunkenness and assault." The police officer pats him down and reads him his rights as he cuffs his hands.

"Brutus bring your car around, we're taking one in," he says into his walkie. "Miss, were you walking home, or do you have a car? We would like to question you on tonight's events."

I realize now, that I should have driven. I would probably have avoided this whole situation if I had, but it's too late now to go back and change that. "No sir, I walked."

He looks at me as if he's disappointed in me some how, and I don't like it. He doesn't even know me, why would he care? "Alright, you'll ride with me and my partner will take him in. Once we have your statement I'll take you home. Sound good?"

I nod my head in consent and watch as his partner, Brutus, retrieves the drunk and with a nod in my direction they leave and I'm left to follow the officer that found us.

"What's your name, sir?" I decide to ask to avoid the awkward silence. I always liked the quiet but this feels too strange.

"Name's Abernathy, and your name, Sweetheart?" He asks with a quirk of his brow.

"Katniss Everdeen, sir, and please don't call me Sweetheart again." Oh well, I guess my nice streak is gone and I'm back to my old sarcastic and unpleasant self to people other than my family.

At my response he guffaws and gives me a nod. "You look new around here, I like your spunk, _Sweetheart_."

"Yes, I am. It's my first night and I see that as my welcoming committee I get a perverted drunk and a sarcastic, harassing cop. I feel so loved," I quip back.

"Watch it, just because I like your spunk, doesn't mean you wouldn't be the first to be arrested for it," he replies back, waiting to see my response.

"I'm sure I wouldn't be the last either…" I drift off, out of energy to keep up with the banter and I think he realizes that because he opens the car door for me and nods his head for me to get in.

"I was just messing with you Sweetheart, I wont arrest you, but I would like to know about that little boot knife trick you got going on." At this he raises his eyebrow at me but I just smirk at him with a wink. Officer Abernathy laughs and continues to ramble on muttering to himself about "spunk" and drives back to the station in a more comfortable silence.

* * *

"Do you want to press charges for assault or harassment, Sweetheart?" Officer Abernathy asks once I recall tonight's events.

"No, actually. I just rather go home and forget it happened. I'm sure he'll be held up here for a while to sober up at least and please stop calling me that!" I exclaim at him, rather exasperated that I have to deal with any of this after the longest day of my life.

"Understandable. As far as the sweetheart thing goes, no. I kinda like it, I think it suits you perfectly," he quips back.

"Fine," I half grumble to myself. "When can I get a ride home? All I want is my bed right now," I surly ask.

"Right now, let's go!" He jumps up and yells goodnight to some fellow officers and leads me out to his car. "Where to?" I give him my address and he smirks at me. "Looks like we're neighbors, Sweetheart. I live in the next apartment building over."

_Ugh, this night just gets better and better._

"Thanks for the ride, Officer Abernathy. Have a good night," I say to him as I get out of his car and head for my apartment.

"Katniss!" I turn to look at him with a raised brow. "Call me Haymitch, I'm not a fan of formalities and we _are_ neighbors, after all."

"Night, Haymitch!" I yell back as I head inside my building to pass out on my bed, the only surface that isn't covered in boxes.


	2. Chapter 2: Haymitch

CHAPTER TWO: Haymitch

I grumble getting out of bed when my alarm starts to go off at seven. Working the late shift last night and then an early shift today, after getting home past two in the morning, is really an awful set-up. I go through with my normal morning routine of a shower and downing cup after cup of coffee then jump in my cruiser to head off, back to the station. When I arrive, I'm greeted by my partner, Brutus, offering me a steaming, hot cup of coffee, knowing how rough this morning will be for us.

"You get that lil' lady back home safely last night? She seemed like a feisty one." He asks with a smile playing on his face as we head for our meeting to get briefed for the day.

"Oh, you have no idea. She reminds me of myself when I was younger and I'm not sure that's a good thing," I reply while laughing and we both shake our heads at that thought. "She's new in town and actually lives in my apartment complex. I have a feeling we're gonna have to keep an eye on her. She lives by herself, and, with that northern accent of hers, I doubt she really knows anyone around here. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't want her on her own like that." I half inform him and half speak those thoughts to myself.

"What? Are you gonna play daddy, now? Haymitch, I've known you for a long time but never saw you so protective before." Oh, wonderful, he's got jokes and its not even ten in the morning yet.

"Like you have room to talk. You play gran-daddy to Ryan," I grumble back.

"We all play our parts in those kids' lives. This station is like its own family unit in and of itself. We barely know this girl, is all I'm getting at, but good for you, look after her," he whispers back as we take our seats in the meeting.

"Good morning everyone!" Our chief greets us from the front podium.

"Mornin' Chief Crane," everyone replies in unison. You can tell some of the squad that worked last night is still trying to wipe the sleep from their eyes. We all can't wait until the heavy vacation weeks are over and we're back to our full occupancy of officers.

"This morning's briefing will not take much of your time. There are no ongoing investigations, as our big case was solved a couple days ago and there are no heads-up to give right now. Just be on the lookout and keep your eyes open. Officer Abernathy and Officer Kelly, it is my understanding that you both still need to finish your paperwork from last night, correct?"

"Yes, Sir," we both respond

"Alright, let's get to work everyone, keep this community safe!" With that everyone's dismissed and head their own ways.

After the meeting, Brutus and I head back to our desks to finish our paperwork but we soon get interrupted by one of the rookies coming over.

"Haymitch, who was the girl here last night?" He asks, trying to wear the most innocent face that I just want to smack off of him.

"Bryan, don't go there," Brutus threatens knowing that I'm now protective of the little fireball.

"What? I'm just asking, as it's my duty to the community to know of risky people and those that get in fights are known to have on-going problems with such matter," he haughtily replies.

At this, I stand up ready to knock him out. I can't stand arrogance and he just radiates it. "Officer Embers, do not make me explain this again. She was a victim, not an instigator, and she is not an 'on-going problem,' you got that? She's just a young girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and if you come across her and harass her, I guarantee she will get the upper hand on you and I hope I'm there to watch." With that I turn to Brutus and say, "get him out of my face before I knock him out."

Brutus stands there with a grin while Bryan pales before their eyes. "Bryan, go do something useful, plus, I warned you not to tread those waters, you never listen. That's something you might want to learn as a rookie, so I suggest you to get your head outta your ass and go do somethin' productive that wont get you punched in the face… for once." I smirk at my partner's loyalty to my crazy antics and sit back down to continue with the paper work. I decide that it's still too early to make my follow up call to Katniss, as to make sure she's still okay and to double check that she does not want to press charges before we release the drunk back to the streets, so I continue with random desk work until Brutus is ready to hit the streets for a while.

* * *

Returning to the station after a slow day, I realize I should make that call into Sweetheart before my shift ends. Being a cop, though, a slow day is a good thing. Brutus and I just had a few traffic stops and parking tickets.

"Uncle Haymitch!" I hear my name called as I walk into the building and turn around looking for the source of the voice.

"Hey there, lil man!" I exclaim while picking the small boy up and spinning him around. We're really not blood related but, like Brutus says, we're all a big family, regardless. After such a long day, this kid's face is just what we needed to cheer us up.

"Where's Uncle Brutus?" he asks as I put him back down.

"Ask, and you shall receive," calls Brutus from behind us. "Where's your brother, Ryan?" he asks the boy after greeting him with a hug.

"He's at his desk. We just got here and Miss Clove is picking me up soon," the little boy chirps.

"Hey, Mitch, I was just going to look for you. The list shows you never made a follow up call to your vic from last night, did you want me to do it for you as your shift is nearin' an end or are you going to do it?" Speak of the devil.

"Well hello to you too, Cato. All work is no fun, my boy… but I'll call Sweetheart."

"You know I have to. No time for fun." Cato grumbles, mostly to himself. I know I shouldn't have joked; working so much is a touchy subject for him. He much rather spend the time with his brother, but they also need the money. He's a good kid.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I went there. Let me go make this call and we'll walk Ryan out to meet up with Clove for you."

"Thanks, Mitch." He pauses then quirks his brow in my direction. "Wait a second, did you just call your vic, Sweetheart?"

Brutus laughs at this and explains, "Yes, in fact, he did. Seems Mitchy here, got attached to the girl and wants to play dad. Says she reminds him of himself."

"Sorry I asked," Cato laughs at my partner's explanation and continues, "I gotta get going and meet up with Luke for our briefing. Ry," he says turning to his little brother, "you be good for Clove and get your school work done. I'll pick you up at the end of my shift, alright? Love you bud!" Cato picks up his brother in a hug and kisses the top of his head before walking off.

"Come on, kid," Brutus says. "Let's go get us a snack while Haymitch makes his call"

* * *

"Hello?" A soft, tired voice responds picking up the phone.

"Sweetheart, its Haymitch." I can hear a rustling and a grunt through the line and I figure she must be in the process of unpacking.

"Hello, Haymitch. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She answers as her snarky self.

I smirk to myself and think she really could be my daughter if I had ever settled down and decided to procreate. "Just making my follow up call to make sure you're alright. Also, I believe they'll be releasing your wonderful drunk tonight or tomorrow morning and wanted to double check that you don't want to press any charges before that happens."

I listen as she sighs into the receiver. "I'm fine, Haymitch, really. No, I don't want to press charges, just let the poor man go but I promise I won't play so nice if I meet him again." I smile and take her words as a definite threat that I'm okay with.

"Alright. Suit yourself. I'm about to get out of here and I'm sure to see you around. Good luck getting yourself situated and if you need help, you know where to find me."

"Thanks again, Haymitch. Have a good night." She hangs up and I start to wonder what her story is, but she doesn't seem like the type open for sharing. I get up and meet up with Brutus and Ryan and we all go to walk out of the building together but are stopped by Chief's wife running after us.

"Mrs. Crane, you ok?" Both my partner and I look at each other wondering what has her flustered.

"Oh, yes gentlemen, I'm just fine. I just wanted to catch you both before you headed out to give you this flyer. Hubby and I are having a BBQ this weekend and wanted to make sure you knew about it." She hands each of us a flyer then turns and bends down to kiss Ryan hello and assures him that Cato got the memo, as well, and that she better see the both of them there, too.

"Thanks Mrs. Crane, we'll be sure to be there."

"Great!" she exclaims. "Oh, by the way, you're more than welcome to bring a friend! I better get going to get the rest of these handed out. Good night guys!" She runs off and I think we're all thinking the same thing… '_How on earth does Chief keep up with that woman?'_


	3. Chapter 3: Katniss

CHAPTER THREE: Katniss

I've been at this for about a week now and, finally, I'm all moved in and situated. I feel like I've been living at home goods stores getting everything I needed for my new apartment. I figured it would be easier than buying everything back home; it just would have been more for me to move in initially and I didn't have the room for it in my truck. All I have left to do is paint, not for decoration purposes, but I can't stand white walls because they make me feel like I'm living in an insane asylum. As it is, I'm not much of an indoors person. I grew up spending my time in the woods near my house and now I foresee myself spending most of my time, that I am at home, out on my porch. It doesn't compare to the forest, but at least it's fresh air and I find it's enjoyable to be able to smell the ocean from where I live.

It's now Friday, and I don't start my new job until Monday. At least I can paint the apartment to pass the time this weekend. I'm nervous but excited about the job. I'll be working at the Savannah Self Defense Academy, otherwise known as the SSDA. It's a large facility that houses experts in weapons, martial arts, and agility training. Those that attend the academy range from the average citizen, as well as the local police departments and, sometimes, military specialists come for advanced training techniques. It's an honor to be chosen to work there. I, myself, will be working in the weapons department teaching self defense against and with knives as well as against an opponent with a firearm.

My dad, before he died, was in the military. He taught me self defense whenever he was home on leave. He always quoted Benjamin Franklin saying, "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail." My father's teachings were his way of making sure we were always safe, even when he wasn't there. Unfortunately, I thought I had many more years of his lessons when I was ten years old, but they were abruptly cut short due to his and Mr. Hawthorne's car accident. They were both soldiers heading back to their base because their leave had ended.

After the accident though, Gale and I continued our fathers self defense training at a local martial arts studio in our free time when we weren't taking care of our mothers and our siblings, or at school. The owner of the studio is who helped me line up this job. He always helped us out because he knew and respected our fathers.

I'm also ecstatic to get my hands on a bow again. I've heard that SSDA has a top-notch archery range and it's been a while since I've to used one. My father taught me, when I was little before he passed, how to shoot and we use to hunt. After he died, I would often wander into the woods to get food while my mother was still unfit to work and we didn't have the money. Someone had to take care of the family and it fell on my shoulders.

I decide to take it easy for the rest of the night and grab a book off of my bookshelf to head outside to read in the cool night air with a hot cup of tea.

About an hour later, I hear that same gruff voice from a week ago calling out to me.

"Hey there, Sweetheart!" I look down from my balcony and take in a worn-out looking figure.

I sigh. "How's it going Haymitch, long day?"

He nods his head in the affirmative. "You get yourself all situated yet?" he asks.

"Yep," I respond, popping the "p" at the end.

"Glad to hear it!" He looks down as if he's thinking something over and I have no clue what to think of it. He looks back up to me, calculating something. "Whatcha got goin' on this weekend, Sweetheart?" he calls up after a moment.

I'm not sure where he's going with this so I explain how I planned on painting. At this he shakes his head at me and I'm about to tell him I'm serious when he openly tells me, "Nope." He pops the "p" just like I had as if taunting me.

"Oh, really, old man?"

"Watch it, what did I say about arresting you for your spunk? And really… you're coming with me to a BBQ tomorrow, _Sweetheart_. Gotta get you out of your apartment and meeting new people," he retorts back with a wink.

"Who said?" I ask raising my eyebrow at him.

"Me." He answers simply. I have a feeling there's no way I can get out of this. _Awesome_.

"Fine," I grumble, clearly not pleased at being dragged into this.

* * *

I get up around nine in the morning to have time to wake-up and relax before being taken to this BBQ where I will know no one. It's not that I'm anti-social but I'm just not a big people person. Okay, I'm slightly anti-social, who am I kidding? I'm not really into small talk and I don't like talking to strangers about my business, so I guess that makes me closed off. I don't know where Haymitch got the idea that I'll enjoy this. He doesn't seem like the most personable person on earth either, but I assume everyone there is close knit, as he told me it's just a department thing. I'll just have to suck it up and play nice.

I look at the clock and realize I have about an hour until I have to meet Haymitch downstairs. I jump in the shower and put on a bathing suit under a sundress, as per Haymitch's instructions to bring a suit, throw on my boots and put my long locks into my signature braid. I don't wear much make-up, if ever, and decide to forego any since it will just melt off in the hot southern sun, anyways. I peek in my bathroom mirror and decide I'm good to go and head out the door grabbing a towel on the way.

"Mornin' Sweetheart!" Haymitch calls from the parking lot at his Jeep. I notice he's holding two cups of coffee in his hands and he holds one out for me.

"Thank you," I breathe, obviously thankful for the beverage. "Afternoon to you too. Just wake up or something? It's passed noon."

"Yes, I did. Some people work for a living and my shift didn't end until early this morning," he answers.

"I'm employed, I just don't start until Monday. I came a week early to move in and get acquainted with the area." At this, I show my maturity and stick my tongue out at him and he laughs.

"Alright, alright, my bad, Sweetheart." I sip my coffee to hold back growling at him for his nickname for me that he adamantly refuses to get rid of. "May I ask who has the pleasure of being your charming self's employer?"

"SSDA." I answer simply.

He almost spews his coffee all over the dashboard of his Jeep hearing this. Once he regains his composure at the red light, he looks over at me, gauging whether or not I'm being truthful. "You mean you'll be working at the Savannah Self Defense Academy?" I almost laugh at how high-pitched his voice got at the end disbelieving me.

"Yes, Haymitch. I'll be an instructor there. Why is that so hard to believe?" I ask innocently.

"Now that I think about it, I guess that explains your knife trick. I was thinkin' I'd have to look out for ya, ya know, with you livin' by yourself…I guess I was wrong." He crinkles his brows together in confusion and disbelief. It's truly amusing to see how easy it is to surprise him. "You are a little spitfire, aren't ya?"

I smirk at him, remembering the night I met him, as he drove us to the station to get my statement, inquiring about my knife abilities and I left him hanging. He just shakes his head at me.

* * *

Once we arrive at his chief's home, we exit his Jeep and walk around the back of the house. I barely know Haymitch, but I feel like I'll be clinging to his side all afternoon in my insecurity at being very social. The first person to greet us looks familiar and I recall that it's his partner. I believe his name is Brutus. He's very tall and built, looking to be in his forties, like Haymitch.

"Hey there, Mitchy! Good to see ya out of uniform!" He claps his shoulder and I hold in a laugh at his nickname but I guess I fail because "Mitchy" gives me a sideways glance to threaten me not to say anything.

"Brutus, this is Sweetheart. Sweetheart, this is Officer Kelly, otherwise known as Brutus. And this here," he says gesturing to a beautiful woman with blonde hair and striking features, "is his wonderful wife, Enobaria," he introduces.

I smile. "Please, don't listen to Mitchy, here, my names Katniss." I stick my hand out to shake his and his wife's hands and wink at Haymitch while I use his partner's nickname for him. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Brutus chuckles at this and I can hear him when he leans into Haymitch and whispers to him, "she is a little fireball, ain't she."

"That she is."

"Would ya'll like to grab a drink? There are some snacks out but the real food hasn't started yet. I think they're going to wait a while," Enobaria prompts us.

"I could definitely go for a beer, how bout you, Sweetheart?" I just nod my head and follow them to the refreshment coolers.

I stand talking to Haymitch, Brutus, and Enobaria for a while. They ask where I'll be working and I tell them what I told Haymitch on the way over here, and just like him, they're both equally surprised. They inform me that they'll later have to introduce me to their chief's son-in-law and daughter, as they also work there. I guess it would be nice knowing a couple people when I start. I'm later introduced to Chief Crane and his wife. Both seem very nice but Mrs. Crane comes off as a lot to handle. She's very bubbly and enthusiastic. I find that I just nod my head and smile at her and it looks like the rest of the crowd does the same. It's amusing and makes my smile grow to be genuine.

I eventually excuse myself to find the bathroom and while coming back I'm bothered by a tall, lanky man with brown hair. Not someone I've been introduced to, as of yet.

"I remember seeing you at the station last week for causing some trouble at a bar, if I'm correct," he says while looking at me from top to bottom. Thoroughly creeped out by him, I try to just nod my head at him and skirt around him but he grabs my wrist. I deduce that he is a fellow officer of Haymitch's, so I allow his hold for a moment out of respect for Haymitch.

I look him in the eye and say through gritted teeth, "Please remove your hand from my wrist, before I remove it myself. And as for your memory, you're mistaken. I wasn't causing trouble, I was ending it and Officer Abernathy helped my cause."

He just laughs at me, which pisses me off. I catch a glimpse of Haymitch watching this play out with concern written all over his face. I throw him a questioning glance and he nods his head while tapping Brutus, as if to tell him, _"watch this."_

I twist his wrist and spin him around, jacking his arm up while he's against the side of the house. "I warned you to remove it yourself or I'd do it for you. I don't know who you are, but I suggest you leave me alone," I spit at him. And to add for good measure I finish, "Sir." I drop his wrist and walk back to the two laughing idiots I know as my neighbor and his squad partner, Enobaria nowhere to be seen.

"Who the hell was that, Hay?" I ask still feeling red in the face due to my anger and embarrassment for being in a situation like that among people I don't know well. Haymitch hands me a beer still trying to get himself under control, wiping away tears that were falling from laughing so hard. Brutus is still doubled over himself trying to regain his breath.

"That, there, is a son-of-a-bitch rookie. Name's Bryan, or Officer Dipshit as our fellow officer, Cato, calls him. You haven't met Cato yet. I believe he's somewhere around here with his brother.

"Officer Dipshit. I like it. It's fitting." I take a long drink from my beer bottle to calm myself down. "How many people just witnessed that?" I ask, nervous to have had an audience.

"Not many, but I assure you, anyone that saw was quite entertained and will surely congratulate you on it. Not sure how he ever makes it through a shift without getting his nose relocated on his face," Brutus explains. Sadistically, this pacifies me.

"Get your suit on Sweetheart, we're headin' in for a dip, join us. This damn sun is making me melt and us men don't 'glisten' gracefully like you ladies do."

I follow them over to the pool, not ready to strip the dress off in front of strangers, I decide to just sit on the side to continue conversation, not knowing anywhere else to go.

* * *

**A/N This chapter gave a little more of Katniss' background. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review! Many thanks to those that have!**

**Next chapter will be Cato...finally!**


	4. Chapter 4: Cato

CHAPTER FOUR: Cato

"Come on, Ry! We're gonna be late!" I call out to my brother from the kitchen folding two towels to pack for us.

"I'm coming!" I hear him call back coming down the hall to where I am.

"Got your swim trunks, bud?" I ask.

"Got 'em on, Cato." I take notice and nod my head at the towels for him to grab while I locate my car keys.

"Alright, lets go." We both hop in my truck and I make sure he's buckled in properly in the back seat like the precious cargo he is.

When we get to Chief's house, Clove, her husband, Mike, and their son, Mikey, greet us. Mikey, who's Ry's age, runs up to us and quickly ushers my brother away with him to play. I hug and kiss Clove on the cheek and shake Mike's hand. "How ya'll doin?" I ask.

"Doin' well man, yourself?" Mike responds. They've both been close friends of mine since high school. They know what I've been through and have been there since day one to help out. I can't owe them enough for all they've done for both, my brother and I.

"I'm good. Just been working a lot. The usual." They both knowingly smile at me and we walk out back to grab a drink and to greet the rest of the people here.

"Hey, hey! Look who's out to have some fun for once!" I turn to find my partner, Luke, a fun-loving, dependable guy and my best friend, aside from Clove and Mike. He's not the tallest guy, but he's very fit with dirty blonde hair and green eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. We came…partially because Mrs. Crane threatened me that if we didn't show, she promised to do ride-alongs with me for a week. I love that woman, but I don't think I'd be able to handle that much time with her." I explain while chuckling at the thought of having her ride in the cruiser with me with all of her crazy energy. I'd clearly go insane.

"Well, I sincerely thank you for agreeing to show, as that would be punishment for me as well. Makes me wonder about her, though. Does she realize she used her own company as a threat?" The four of us crack up recognizing what she did. "You said we, Cato… Where's my lil' man?" Luke inquires about Ryan.

I point out in the yard to where a bunch of kids are playing. "Mikey kidnapped him the moment we arrived." I explain to him, entertained by the boy's antics.

"Umm… guys, look!" Luke grabs our attention, after a moment, gesturing to the back of the house.

"Looks like Officer Dipshit is at it again. Who is that?" I ask. Then, all of a sudden, we watch as a whirlwind of a dark braid on a small figure spins and pins Bryan against the house and leans up on her toes to speak closer to his ear.

"Wow," Luke breathes, completely astonished, as the rest of us are, at this girl's strength. "I don't know who that is, as I got here just shortly before you, but I want to find out."

"She came with Haymitch," Clove answers us. "Her name's Katniss, I believe, but he calls her Sweetheart…it's _endearing._ Turns out, she's Mike's and my new coworker at SSDA."

We drop our jaws. SSDA, really? She's so small, I think to myself.

"Well, I suppose we can see how she got the job and she couldn't have used her talents on a better specimen," Luke says with a grin.

"Did you say Mitch calls her Sweetheart?" I ask Clove, remembering back to last week that Mitch referred to a victim he had to make a follow up call to.

"Yeah, why?" Clove answers, but I don't get a chance to respond to her because both boys come bounding up to us begging to play in the pool area. Mike gets taken by the hand of his son, with Ryan following, and Clove seeks out her parents while Luke and I continue our rounds of saying hello.

* * *

Some time later, I'm talking to Enobaria and we spot Haymitch and Brutus coming our way still drying off from the pool. "Where's your sweetheart, Mitch?" Enobaria questions.

Mitch gives us a genuine smile, strangely more in my direction and I'm curious to hear his response. We don't see him smile like that often. "Turns out Sweetheart has a sweet spot for kids. She's making friends with Ryan. Actually got him in the pool." I raise my eyebrows in surprise and he turns fully in my direction to take in my reaction. "I thought he hasn't swam since that almost drowning incident a few years ago?"

"He hasn't," I tell him, still baffled at how he's in the pool.

"Well, he is now. She's good with him. Don't quite know how it happened. One minute she scoots over sitting on the ledge near us to say hello to him. The next time Brutus and I look over, she's stripped off her dress and holding him in the pool while he seemed to be having the time of his life."

"Kid, why don't you go join him. Wouldn't hurt ya to talk to the girl either. Just a warning, she's a ball buster, so play nice," Brutus hints to me while chuckling with Mitch about the girl.

"Yeah, we saw what she did to Bryan, good for her. I think we've all wanted to jack him up since day one," I tell them.

"Clove told us about her startin' at SSDA, too. Remind me to never piss that girl off," Luke jokes.

I nod and head to the pool while ridding myself of my shirt.

"CATO!" I hear my brother yell from across the pool when I near.

"Relax bud, I'm coming!" I yell back. I watch as the Katniss girl smiles and laughs at my brother's excited actions while holding him above water as he squirms, wanting to get to me.

"Hey Ry, hold still, you can't be making it easy to hold ya above water with you wiggling around like that," I joke while taking him in my arms. I turn to the girl and put a hand out while keeping Ryan afloat in my other arm. "Hi, I'm Ryan's brother, Cato. Katniss, right?" I say, introducing myself.

She eyes me, probably wondering how I knew her name, but none the less gives me a solid handshake. "It's nice to meet you," she says shyly. "You're brother's truly a great kid."

"Sorry to interrupt you guys," Mike calls from over my shoulder with his son in tow. "Mikey was wondering if Ry could come with us to the shallow end." Mike doesn't even wait for my response but takes Ryan reaching for him as his answer as he takes him from me.

I face Katniss while shaking my head at them, "I came in to join my brother and he's a traitor. Figures."

She smiles at me but then says something that catches me off guard. "He may want to play with his friends, but you're his hero. He talked all about you. He said he was just glad that you got a day off to relax, regardless if you spent time together or not. He loves you," she drifts off in a small voice. I begin to wonder if this is the same girl that put Bryan in his place. That girl was strong and confident and now this girl is quiet and shy. I'm confused. Almost baffled enough to not realize my brother's sentiments she shared with me. Almost.

"Thank you for sharing that. We don't get much time to spend together because I work so much and I guess, I never knew what he thought of me. I just figured he was stuck with me no matter what," I surprisingly share with her. "Can I ask how you got him in the pool? He hasn't swam since he had an accident a few years ago and almost drowned at the beach."

She smiles a smile that reaches all the way to her eyes, that I take in for the first time. They're this warm grey, silver rather, with specs of blue. They're truly mesmerizing. "I saw him sitting by himself while I was speaking with Hay and Brutus so I scooted over to say hello. I introduced myself but he was so good and just told me, 'My brother says not to talk to strangers,'" and this makes me smile. "I told him that was a good rule to follow. Eventually he looked at me like he was debating something in his head then came to a conclusion and stuck his hand out to me and introduced himself saying, 'I guess you're not really a stranger if I know your name and your talking to my uncles.' I asked why he wasn't in the pool since it was so hot out and he told me the same story you had about almost drowning and I told him the same thing had happened to me a long time ago. He asked if I ever got back in the water and told him I did the next time I was able to. I told him what my father told me when I was younger, 'That you can't be strong like your heroes if you don't have fears, but to be strong, you have to face them too.' So he said he wanted to be like you but asked for my help, which I gladly gave. He really is an amazing kid."

I couldn't believe that was all it took for him to give it another try. Not really being pressured but slightly manipulated through words. "Your father is a smart man. Words to live by," I tell her truly amazed by what she'd accomplished with my brother.

"Was," she says. And now I'm confused and it must show on my face because she clarifies, "my father _was_ a smart man." With that she goes to get out of the pool and I'm left there swimming with my foot in my mouth. I shake it off, because I couldn't have known or I would have never purposely said something like that and head back to the shallow end to spend time with Ry. I soak in my little brother's great accomplishment today and relish in the joy of being able to play with him again. Even if it is only for a day before it's back to work.

* * *

**A/N Sorry for such the fast updates. I just know where I want this story to go and before this week takes ahold of all my time, I wanted to get out as much as possible. Let me know if I should slow the updates. Review please! Thanks again to those who have. They're truly appreciated!**

**Cato and Katniss finally meet! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Katniss

CHAPTER FIVE: Katniss

My alarm goes off at five-thirty Monday morning. I don't have to be at work until eight, but that leaves time for me to wake-up and get some coffee and breakfast as well as go on my morning run before getting ready for my first day of work. While watching the morning news sipping my hot beverage, praying it does its job, I think back to the BBQ on Saturday.

Overall, I guess it wasn't a total failure. I enjoyed my time with Haymitch and Brutus, getting to know them better, as well as Enobaria. The two men, as silly as they sometimes seem, are really very loyal to those they are close to. It is an admirable trait that I respect. It was also pleasant meeting Clove and Mike, both of whom I'll be working with this week. And, even though I had to deal with that ass of a man, Bryan, my experience getting to know Ryan, Cato's brother, outshone that moment.

When I first saw him and had taken in his tiny frame with beach blonde hair and baby blue eyes, I thought he reminded me so much of my Prim when she was younger. I found him adorable and estimated he must be around six to eight years old, but frowned as he sat on the side of the pool by himself. Haymitch and Brutus seemed to be very fond of the little boy, which made me want to talk to him all the more. I found that my father's advice was sound and not only helped me when I was younger but continues to guide me to help others by passing along his words. And Cato. I should have realized it was Ryan's brother that headed towards us before he even called out to him by recognizing their similar features but I found myself distracted by his muscular form. At first glance, I wouldn't have taken him to be the fun-loving brother that he seemed to be but was happily surprised to be mistaken. I had enjoyed speaking to someone my age that seemed to have more of a past than I could understand, much like myself, but my stupid self clammed up the moment I hinted at my father's death. It's been _fifteen_ _years_ and it still strikes me as if it were just yesterday. I inwardly groan and decide to go on my morning run to clear my head. It's going to be a long day.

* * *

"You must be Katniss Everdeen," I hear shortly after I enter SSDA. I turn and face a tall, fit woman with dark skin.

"Ms. Atala?" I ask, thinking she must be my employer.

"Yes, but please, just call me Atala. It's a pleasure to meet you, Katniss. Mr. Undersee from your martial arts studio told me a lot about you." She puts her hand out to shake mine. "Let's get you set up with your locker and I'll show you around the facility. I spoke to Clove and Mike this morning and they said that they met you this weekend, as well as giving a little show of your capabilities." She looks at me questionably waiting for me to explain.

"I found myself in a situation at a police department BBQ and got myself out of it. I didn't hurt him, I swear," speaking a little too quickly hoping that it won't get me into trouble before I even start the job.

"Don't worry about it. It's good to know I hired the right person for the job other than just going off of Undersee's recommendation," she tells me with a smile playing on her lips. Phew. "Come on. I'll introduce you to your fellow trainers as well on the tour."

The place was truly breathtaking. It was huge! There were private training rooms lining the walls as well as a boxing ring in the center of the room for hand-to-hand combat training. There were several different weapon stations for practice and I was given a full show of the stations I'll be working at. All of the trainers I met, I found to be pleasant and they all offered their help until I'm comfortable. I think I'm going to like it here, I think to myself with a smile on my face. Not only am I doing what I'm good at and enjoy, but my job here will help people. The trainees will be able to handle themselves in a dangerous situation and, also, build their self-confidence.

Work goes well for most of the day. A few times, I had to locate another trainer for their advice, but other than that, no problems. Just like any job, it'll take a little while to get fully comfortable and in a routine.

Around three o'clock, two hours until I'm finished, I locate a familiar little boy walking in the entrance with Clove that makes my day all that much better, but he seemed to have spotted me first.

"KAT!" Ryan bounds over to me and I sweep him up in a hug.

"He really is hard not to love, isn't he?" I look up from Ryan and find Clove smiling at me.

"Ryan, why don't you head to the locker room and get changed, then meet us back out here," Clove suggests. Without a word, he nods his head and sprints off.

"He's a great kid," I say to her.

She nods her head while smiling then the smile drops and she looks me in the eye. "Listen, it may not be my place to say, but that boy's family to us as well as my son's best friend. You're new here and I don't know you, but often times, new people come and go. Ry needs a support system, not people who will welcome him with open arms and then leave. So, I suggest, if you don't plan on sticking around, to distance yourself from him." Clove looks at me with calculating eyes, attempting to figure out my intentions. I realize I can't do anything but respect her. I would do the same thing for Prim or any of Gale's siblings. In fact, I have.

"I don't plan on going anywhere and I respect you for looking out for him. I use to, and still do the same for my little sister, even though she's all grown up and recently married, but I practically raised her. I don't want to disrespect any of you that look out for Ryan, nor do I want to overstep my boundaries with Cato. Ryan is a special kid and I adore him. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him," I honestly tell her. I usually don't just do what others say, but if they rather me leave the boy alone because they don't trust me yet, that I can understand and obey.

Clove nods her head at me in acceptance of my response. "I can admire that. Sorry for coming on a little strong. I have nothing against you, but I just gotta look out for him. I hope you understand."

"I do, trust me. Back home my sister and I had a similar support system growing up, very few related by blood," I tell her. With a second thought, I ask, "Where are their parents?" referring to Cato and Ryan.

"That is definitely not my place to say. You'll have to talk to Cato. I just ask that you don't breathe a word of that kind of thing to Ryan."

"Understandable." It seems that there is a lot that I don't know about these boys, and I make a vow to never let Ry down.

* * *

At the end of the day, I get showered in the locker room and change into my street clothes. As I'm exiting the building I hear my cellphone ringing in my bag.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Sweetheart, I'm off work in an hour and figured you'd be just getting done. I'll pick you up and we're headed out to celebrate your first day. Not taking no for an answer so don't even try." I can almost hear him smile to himself, in success.

"Alright, hurry yourself up because I'm hungry," I concede.

"See ya soon."

"Bye, Haymitch." I hang up and shake my head.

Once I get home, I pass the time by calling my sister, knowing she'll want to hear about my first day.

"Kat, is that you?" She answers her phone excitedly.

"Hey, Primmy Hawthorne!" I still can't get over how she's married.

"I miss you, so much! We all do! How are you? How was your first day, you started today, didn't you?" She spills out quickly. Sometimes I wonder how we're related at all. I never got her enthusiasm.

"I miss you all, too! I'm great, all settled into the apartment and actually making friends. You'd be proud!" I tell her, knowing she's been thinking I've been a loner down here like I was back home. "My first day went well. I met a lot of great trainers and everyone seems really nice. You should see the facility, it's so big and has everything!" I gush to her and paint her a picture with words describing everything so she can imagine it.

"Wow," She breathes, "Kat, you sound so happy! I can't wait until we can come visit, maybe when we do you'll show us around and we can meet these new friends of yours."

The conversation passes with her telling me all about her honeymoon, leaving out the parts I shouldn't hear from my baby sister, thankfully. She fills me in on how our mother and Mrs. Hawthorne are doing with the other kids, and how Gale and his wife are. It makes me happy that everything is working out well back home and the thought allows me to settle a little more deeply into my new life, knowing all is well.

I look at the time and note that Haymitch will be getting home soon, so I have to wrap up my call.

"Prim, I gotta get going, a friend of mine and I are going out to celebrate my first day at work." I tell her.

"Not a problem, Kat. I'm so happy you called, I love you sis!"

"Love you too and tell everyone I said hello, for me, will you?" I hopefully ask her.

"Will do. Have fun and hope to hear from you soon!" I hang up and put my shoes on and run to the bathroom to redo my braid. Just as I'm finishing, my phone rings again.

"Hello." I say into the phone thinking it must be Haymitch. And I'm correct of that assumption.

"Come on out, Sweetheart, I thought you were hungry!" He acts like he's been waiting hours for me. Sometimes he's hard to handle.

"Get your panties out of a bunch, Mitchy, I'll be right down," I tell him, wishing I could see his reaction but I am satisfied to hear him grumble something unintelligible on the other end of the line.

* * *

Haymitch and I end up at a café around the corner from where we live. We each order a beer and some appetizers, in no hurry. We just spend the time getting to know each other. I learn that he grew up and spent his whole life here, in Savannah, that his parents both had passed away and after his father died, his older brother and younger sister took off to carry on with their lives, each in their own corner of the country.

"So what's your story, kiddo? You came a long way, just by yourself. Being a cop, we tend to think that there are two reasons for such actions. Either you're running away from something, or running to something." If it were anyone else, I'd probably want to punch him in the face for digging into my business, but Hay's become someone I feel I can rely on. I decide to lay all my cards on the table.

"My family was just my parents, myself, and my little sister, Primrose. My dad was a Marine but died in a car accident, with my best friend's father, when I was around ten years old, Prim was only six. My mom dropped into a depression and between me, my best friend, Gale, who also lost his father, and Gale's mother, we all took care of each other. I hunted and gathered to keep food on the table with Gale, and his mother and my sister kept up with the house. Eventually, my mom immersed herself into her work at the local hospital, always being on call so I practically raised Prim. I spent my whole life making sure to keep the rest of my family alive and giving Prim the best of everything. I even put her through college. When she got married, I took that as my chance to do something for myself, and my martial arts instructor gave me a great recommendation to SSDA. I also have a shitty ex-boyfriend that I couldn't seem to shake back home, so moving here has positives all around. I miss everyone back home but, here, I feel like I can finally breathe easy knowing everyone I love is taken care of now. Take what you will from that." I take a deep breath, realizing that I've never given such a long monologue about myself before and now I feel naked that someone, outside of those I grew up with, now knows my story. I don't really like the feeling. I finally feel the heat leave my cheeks from bearing all to Haymitch and decide to lift my head to see his face. His eyes are wide and his brow is knit. I don't know what to make of it.

After a beat, he looks me in the eye and tells me honestly, "You are one hell of a young woman. You should be proud of yourself." On that note, he raises his drink to me and cheers, "To you're new life and new job, I hope it's everything you dreamed of!"

We clink our glasses and I shyly say thank you to him. I've gotten use to our banter, but to hear him sound proud of me seems to shift our relationship a bit with that serious note.

"So tell me about this 'shitty ex-boyfriend' of yours," he asks me while using my word choice. This makes me smile.

"Well, his name is Peeta and we met at the MA studio. His father is a kind, gentle man and a good friend of my instructor. I had thought he inherited most of his father's traits, but after some time of being with him, I learned he only had his father's looks, but his mother's temperament. He became aggressive and controlling. Not really my cup of tea," I tell him. I figure if we're to be good friends and neighbors, as it seems we will, he might as well get the whole story.

He nods his head, taking in the information then says, "You're right," he chuckles, "he sounds shitty to me," he adds. "Good thing you can kick his ass though, right?"

I genuinely laugh, enjoying my time, sharing with Haymitch. We spend the rest of the time with him telling me about Savannah, warning me where not to go after dark and where people my age tend to go to have fun. He tells me which beach is the safest to go to, as well. He reminds me of my father so much that it feels good to connect with him, but he's not so alike that it pains me. I gather that he'll be a rather good mentor to have in my life. I remember him saying that he wanted to look out for me and it's a nice change of pace. I haven't had anyone really to take care of me in a long time and I can physically feel more weight taken off of my shoulders.

* * *

**Please Review! I'm always looking for good constructive criticism. Thanks, again!**


	6. Chapter 6: Haymitch

CHAPTER SIX: Haymitch

Another morning shift, I inwardly groan, rolling out of bed. It's been a hectic couple of weeks. Katniss and I spend at least every other night having dinner together, like the messed up little family we've become. Either she, or I, cook and the other supplies the beer. Personally, I think it's a great system. The hectic part of it is the fact that the station has been buzzing. Every day we're briefed on the same thing. Turns out we have a pair of sick men, breaking into single women's apartments in the middle of the night, attempting to rape and rob the tenant or home owner. Because of this I've made sure that Katniss was on alert. I've told her to not sleep at home alone, even though these men haven't successfully physically attacked any of the women, as they were quick to call the police or weren't actually home alone, I still don't like the possibility of her getting caught up in this mess.

Over the course of our dinners, she shares about her new work experiences such as the people she trains or her coworkers. One of her coworkers, I believe her name is Johanna, and she have gotten quite close and I'm glad she has a girl her age to connect with. So, until this case is solved, they've been having sleepovers or, if Jo's staying with her boyfriend, Sweetheart makes good use of my couch. Last night she crashed at Johanna's.

Sweetheart has also talked a lot about Ryan. She tells me how his sweet demeanor reminds her of her little sister when she was younger and I can see the adoring gleam in her eye when she recounts their time together. Knowing what I now know about her past, I'm glad that someone like her can be in the kid's life. I don't necessarily want to play matchmaker, but I have been hoping that Sweetheart and Cato could at least become friends. I find that they both have a lot in common, but that also includes their ability to shut down and build walls to protect themselves. Not the right ingredients to build any type of relationship.

I'm headed out to my car while giving Brutus a call to see if he wants me to stop for coffee for him.

"Mornin', Mitchy!" Brutus answers. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm headed in now, was gonna see if you wanted me to stop for some real coffee."

"Please do. I hate this stuff they claim to be coffee here. It tastes like mud," he grumbles.

"Will do, man…_ Shiiiit!" _I exclaim into the phone. I was just walking to my car when I looked up to Sweetheart's apartment to find the door ajar. I know she hasn't been home as her and Jo went straight to work from Jo's.

"Mitch? What's wrong? What's going on? Answer me!" Brutus rambles and yells into my ear.

"Brutus, you're already at the station. Do me a favor and call some guys in. Looks like Sweetheart's apartment was broken into."

"You're kidding me!" I can hear him slamming things and calling to some fellow officers in the building for back up. "We'll be there shortly."

I hang up and head up to her door. The first thing I notice is the door frame is broken so I drop my bag in the corner of her porch, put my gloves on and finger my Glock on my hip holster. I shoulder the door open the rest of the way and take in the scene before me. Her television is gone. Her DVD player is gone. Her stereo is gone. I don't see her lap top anywhere but I know she tends to carry it with her everywhere, so I only hope she has it with her now. I don't see anything else, initially, so I move further into her apartment. I check the hallway closet for intruders. Nothing. I move to the bathroom and the closest there. Nothing. Finally I move to the bedroom. I can't tell if anything was taken but all of her desk drawers are open, looking like someone had rummaged through them.

By the time I'm coming out of her bedroom, Brutus is standing in the front doorway with a disturbed look on his face. Granted, this isn't the best thing to find first thing in the morning but that look isn't the usual look on his face when on a robbery scene. I'm about to ask him what's going on when he just points to Katniss' refrigerator.

"Next time, it will be your dignity we take," is written in bold black Sharpie across her white refrigerator door. My face visibly pales. No one threatens my Sweetheart. No one.

"Fuck." It's the only word that comes to mind.

"Took the word right out of my mouth, Mitch." He takes in the rest of her apartment then says, "I'm gonna make a call into Chief. He's gonna want to get his detectives all over this, especially when this could do with the same string of break-ins that we've been chasing after."

I just nod my head, agreeing, but actually too lost in thought to be attentive to him. I have to notify Katniss but I also have to figure out what to do with her. Even if we do catch these guys, there will always be sick people out there that could hurt her, and I don't like that reality. I want to keep her safe, but I don't think it's realistic for her to constantly stay with Johanna in her one bedroom apartment, nor is it ideal for her to live on my couch, at least in the long term. Damn right, she'll be staying there tonight, where she can't leave my sight so I know she's at least safe for the time being… But what to do in the long term?

"Brutus, think these guys can handle this? I think we gotta drop by SSDA and notify Katniss about what happened," I say while nodding my head in the direction of the other officers in her apartment investigating.

"You boys got this?" Brutus asks no one in particular. They all respond in the affirmative so we head out to his car and drive off to the academy with me still trying to come up with a solution for her.

* * *

I stride into the building, not having a clue where she may be located but thankfully spot Mike, Chief's son-in-law, on the way in.

"Haymitch, er, Officer Abernathy, what can I do for you?" He asks, clearly confused whether this is business or pleasure.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask, skipping all formalities and greetings. It seems I left all manners at the door.

Mike takes in my disgruntled appearance and realizes I'm in no mood for our usual, easy banter and points to where his wife, Clove, and Katniss are working with someone at a station together. I hurry my way over to them and when Katniss sees me I can read the puzzlement all over her face. Clove excuses her and works with the trainee herself while Katniss meets me.

"Hay, what's going on, you're not one to visit me at work?" I can hear the concern in her voice and it pains me to tell her what happened.

"Katniss, can we talk somewhere more private? Outside maybe?" I suggest to her.

We head outside and sit on a bench. I can see Katniss eyeing Brutus' cruiser parked not far from where we're sat. "Katniss," I start, still not sure how to word this. I try again, "Katniss, your door was busted open when I walked out to my car this morning." I wait to see how that information sets in for her then continue. "I called Brutus to get a team together and meet me at your apartment. Your television, DVD player, and stereo are all gone, and your desk drawers looked like someone had went through them. I didn't see your laptop but I know you usually carry it with you, I hope its still in your possession." I say all this carefully waiting to see how she takes it.

What surprises me is she laughs. _What the hell? Has she lost it?_ "Sweetheart?"

"At least they took nothing of value to me. I doubt they'll get much money for all that stuff since I bought it cheap to begin with." Okay, seems like she's taking the optimistic approach. Now I have to drop the bomb on her.

"Katniss, that's not all we found, though." She calms herself down and looks at me, waiting to hear what I had left out. "They wrote on your refrigerator in black marker. It said, 'Next time, it will be your dignity we take.' We think it might be the guys we've been after." With this new piece of information, her eyes grow wide and I see her hands balled up in fists, probably wanting to pummel who ever threatened her like this. I can't honestly blame her. Brutus and I do, too.

"What the fuck?!" She yells while getting to her feet. I'm about to think she's going to punch me just because I'm the closest target to her. "What am I suppose to do with that tidbit of information, Hay?" She asks me, clearly at a loss, as I am, of what to do now.

"I'm still tryin' to come up with a long term plan, but until then, you're movin' in with me, understood? I'm not riskin' you gettin' hurt, especially until we get these bastards." I use a voice she knows to take serious and that not doing what I ask, is not an option. She surprises me by bending down to hug me, which I don't hesitate to return.

"Thanks, Haymitch," she says in a small voice, so unlike her usual, sarcastic self.

"I'm glad you readily agreed, because I'm not doing this to belittle your strength or capabilities to protect yourself, but just because you're capable, doesn't mean you should have to," I tell her making sure she understands where I'm coming from. "Well, we both gotta get back to work, why don't you swing by the station when you're done and hopefully one of us has come up with a plan by then." She agrees and waves good-bye to Brutus and I while heading back into the building.

* * *

All day, while cruising the streets with Brutus, I've been wracking my brain for a solution. Bottom line, I never liked her living by herself. I don't care if she can kick ass, I don't like the idea of her having to.

"Brute, I have an idea, but I believe I'm goin' to need back up for this." I smirk at his face falling, knowing how most of my crazy schemes tend to work out.

"Alright, I'll bite, but I'll say this now, I'm not promising anything."

I tell him my plan and unsurprisingly, he readily agrees to back me up. Both because he's loyal and he said that this idea is the best I've had, yet. Now we just need to see how the kids will respond to it.

* * *

We pull back into the station around five-thirty in the afternoon. The second we exit our vehicle, Luke, Cato's partner heads our direction.

"Miss Everdeen is sitting in Chief's office. She came here looking for you, Mitch," he tells me.

"Thanks, Luke, I'll head up there now. Brutus, why don't you share our plans with him and go hunt down Cato together. Take some time to grab a coffee while I try to warm Katniss up to my idea," I hint to them that it may not be such an easy task.

Brutus chuckles and drags a perplexed Luke away in search for the blonde boy in my plan, and I head for the snarky young lady that I have to deal with. I find her just where Luke told me she was, chatting with Chief in his office.

"Hey Hay!" She greets me with a small smile on her face. I just hope it doesn't fade once I tell her our plans.

"Chief, mind if we use your office to talk, you're more than welcome to stay, don't wanna kick you out. I just don't think Katniss will want an audience for this."

"More than welcome, I have a daughter, as you both know, so this case is close to heart for all of us," he shares.

"Sweetheart, why don't you sit down. I have a plan that I hope you'll be open to, as long as the other party agrees as well. Brutus and Luke are working on that now." She lifts an eyebrow at me as if to tell me to continue, but I can tell she's already uneasy. "How would you feel about moving in with Cato?"

"What?" She jumps up totally caught off guard by this idea. "Haymitch, I don't even know him. As much as I adore his little brother, I don't know two things about Cato and vise versa. There's no way he'll agree to this either! Have you lost it?" Okay. This isn't going well. Very much how I envisioned it.

At this moment, Brutus and Luke come in with a surly looking Cato tagging behind them. Faster than I've ever seen her move, Sweetheart turns to Cato with an accusing look. "Did you know about this?" She demands of him.

"Don't look at me. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, here, came up with this," he answers back glaring at both my partner and me. I guess Brutus had the same luck as I had his first round.

"Now, wait a second everyone," Chief butts in. Good, he wants to take the reigns on this. Let him use his place of leadership to put these kids on the right track here. Hopefully, that's where he's going with this and doesn't end up taking their side. "Let's have everyone sit down and think this through." He turns to Sweetheart after we're situated. "Miss Everdeen, you need somewhere safe to stay, and I doubt you want to take up Officer Abernathy's couch in the long term, correct?" he asks her.

"Well, yes, sir," answering him back dejectedly.

"And, Officer Adams," he turns to Cato, "you've been wanting to spend more time with Ryan, but can't afford to cut your shifts back because you need the money, correct?" Ah, I see where he's going with this. Killing two birds with one stone. I knew I always liked Chief.

"Yes, sir," Cato responds, "but I don't see how that relates to this situation, Chief."

"Then here's the big picture for both of you. Katniss moves in with you, making her less of a target, if one at all, for these guys doing this, and in the long run safe, living with a police officer. Katniss, by moving in with Officer Adams, you will help with the bills, such as his mortgage, utilities, cable, etcetera. Then, Cato, with Katniss helping out with your bills, you will be able to cut back your shifts to a normal work week, therefore, freeing up more time for Ryan," Chief finishes.

The four of us sit as spectators, watching how this idea plays out on both Sweetheart's and Blondie's faces. I witness first, a look resembling two scolded school children, then, contemplation, among confusion and hostility. Lastly, which is what I believe we were all hoping for, is the realization that Chief's right. Checkmate. I smile to myself in triumph, but I make sure to keep it hidden because if Katniss saw, I don't think she'd hesitate, right now, to slap the look off of my face.

* * *

**A/N Readers were asking for more Kato, hope this satisfies your needs until the next chapter. :) **

**On another note, I upped the rating to M due to the language in this chapter and sexual references. Mostly I'm paranoid but rather play on the safe side. Enjoy and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Cato

CHAPTER SEVEN: Cato

_What the hell am I suppose to do?_ Katniss and I both nod at and Haymitch and Brutus respectively and go our separate ways without exchanging a word to each other. I head to the locker room to gather my things and change, ready to head out and pick Ryan up at Clove's. As I'm reaching to unlock my truck door, Luke calls my attention.

"Hey, Cato, wait up!" I open my car door just to throw my belongings in and turn to wait for him to catch up with me. "What are you gonna do, man?"

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? I thought it was closed for discussion," I say to him, obviously still peeved about the whole situation. I don't even know the girl!

"Cato, it's your home. You still have a say no matter what anyone tells you to do and if you were to tell the girl to find somewhere else, I think she'd obey your wishes. She doesn't like this any more than you do," he tells me.

"I just don't get it. If Haymitch wants to make sure she's protected so badly, why don't they both just move into a two bedroom and save money on rent, she is his _sweetheart_, after all," I sneer at him. He knows I have nothing against him. He seems to support what ever I choose. Unfortunately for him, he ended up in my line of fire.

"Hey, man. I got your back, like I always do, but you know the chief's right about this. You would get to see Ryan more, and even if you hated the girl, you're a cop. It's in your nature to protect and I'm sure you wouldn't want her as these guy's next vic. All I'm sayin' is, give it a try. No one said this is a permanent thing. Hell, talk to Clove and Mike about it and get their input. They work with the girl, so they might be a little more help. When all's said and done, you hold the right to boot her out if you want," Luke finishes with a flourish, his signature smile gracing his face.

He's right, on all accounts, I suppose. Damn, this is frustrating. I do my best to give Ryan everything I can and keep his life as uncomplicated as possible, after growing up the way I had. It's bad enough that he has no parents, but now being a part of this circus, I just don't know what to do.

"You're right, and I am going to talk to Mike and Clove, when I get Ry, to see what they can tell me about this girl. I'll try to get as much of a background as I can before I let her step foot into our house and Ryan's life. Might even see what Mitch knows about the girl," I tell him.

"Alright, I'll let you get to it then. Just let me know the outcome, because you're going to need help making room for her and she'll need help moving in if that's the what you decide on." He pats my back while tossing a good-bye and a good luck over his shoulder to me and I hop into my truck hoping Clove will sort this all out for me. I know Mike will just say suck it up and hope for the best. I shake my head, trying to clear it, at least until I get to Clove's and we can figure this out together.

* * *

"Hey guys!" I call over to Ry and Mikey playing in the front yard, as I climb out of my truck.

"Cato!" They both yell in unison while running over to greet me. I pick both boys up, one under each arm and spin them around, successfully receiving giggles.

"Well look who it is, the human jungle gym!" Clove calls to me from their front porch. I hadn't even noticed her sitting there. I put the boys down and walk to say hello to her.

"Clove, you got a minute to talk?" I ask her, thinking if I don't figure this out now, I will only have Mike's usual advice to go by with no time for Clove's planning.

"Yeah, sure, and you just missed Mike, he ran to help his mother with something" she says. "Hey, boys! Why don't y'all head out back to play, Cato's going to come inside to talk for a minute and we won't be able to keep an eye on you out front!" She hollers to both her son and my brother. For such a small woman, she's got one big mouth. I think the whole neighborhood could have heard her loud and clear.

"Want a cup of coffee or tea? Hell, want a beer?" She asks me as we enter their kitchen.

"I'd love a beer, but I think coffee sounds great. I need to stay alert for this conversation," alluding to the fact that this will be one of those important conversations.

"Oh, boy. Got ya. Coffee coming right up!" She eyes me while preparing the coffee, probably trying to figure out what has me so on edge. "Alright, spit it out. I can't wait for this slow thing to finish to hear what's got you all riled up," she starts at me.

"You work with Katniss Everdeen, correct?" She nods and I continue, "did she tell you anything today at work?" I ask.

"Oh, you mean about the sick idiots that jacked her place and left some nice threatening art work on her fridge?" I nod. "What about it?" Clove questions me, not seeing where this is going.

"Well, I got pulled into your father's office today by Brutus and Luke to find Haymitch and Katniss already in there with your father. Katniss and I were ganged up on. They schemed to have Katniss move in with me for protection, saying that with her there to help pay bills, I can cut back on my hours to be with Ry. Thing is, I don't know this girl and she doesn't know a damn thing about me either. What am I suppose to do, Clove?" I think I look as hopeless as I feel because she's giving me a pitiful look. _I hate pity._ "You work with her, what can you tell me about her?" I ask, hoping to get some insight.

"Hmm," she hums out, getting up to serve us each a cup of coffee. "Well, I gotta say that the old farts, my father, and Luke might be on something, in theory. As for what I know about Katniss," she taps her chin, overly dramatizing her thinking. "She kicks ass at archery, don't know where she picked that up. She can throw and handle knives like me…" She drifts off and I cut in.

"Clove, these all sound like reasons why I _shouldn't_ need to protect her."

"Don't butt in. You sound like Mikey," Clove admonishes me as if I were her son. "You didn't let me finish. She isn't the best with hand-to-hand combat. She can disarm an opponent, but her other close combat skills are lacking, not that she doesn't practice, though. I'll give her that."

"But, she got the upper hand on Bryan and I heard how she took down the drunk the first night Haymitch met her," I tell her, disagreeing with Katniss' supposed weakness.

"Yes, she manhandled Bryan and a drunk. Doesn't say much. Mike can take her down, with half of his effort, and when she goes up against Thresh, ouch, is all I can say. I remember being stupid enough to go against him when I started at SSDA." She winces at her memory.

Damn.

"Alright, so she needs protecting, but why should it be me?" I ask, hoping she finds me a loophole out of this.

"You know I always have your best interest at heart, especially Ryan's as well. Well let me tell you what else I know about Everdeen. She loves Ry. Simple as that, and I believe the feeling is mutual for him, also. What I've seen of their interactions is that they get along really well. Her first day, I had brought the boys back to work with me after I picked them both up from school. Once he saw her, he raced over to say hello and she gave him a _motherly_ greeting that caught me off guard." With this, she smirks, "I warned her to let him be because I didn't know or trust her and told her that if she is going to be around him, then she better not hurt him or turn her back on him. Hearing so much about her fiery attitude, I expected her to get in my face about it. She didn't. Told me she respected and admired me for looking out for him and said she would do and has done the same for her litter sister. Said she raised the girl." She eyes me carefully after that last piece of information and I'm reminded even more of how little I know Katniss.

"So you're saying…" I lead her to continue.

"I'm saying… that what I know of her and what I know of you, that I think you should at least give this an honest go. She needs to be protected and you want to spend more time with Ry. Would you rather someone move in to help you pay your bills that wouldn't love your brother? Remember, none of this has to be permanent, but I can't seem to see a down side other than you two communicating. Unfortunately, I think you two are too alike in that department. Kinda closed off." She gives me a knowingly smile.

"Alright. So she moves in. Where is she gonna stay?" I ask, annoyed that this will definitely be happening.

"Um, dude, you have a third bedroom. You just gotta clear it out for her. I'm sure Mike will help, if you need it."

"The third bedroom doesn't have a closet and she's a girl. Don't see how that would work and I'm not going to make Ryan change bedrooms." I can tell I'm irritating her with being so closed-minded.

"I would never think to move him, but also, Katniss isn't the normal girl. I doubt she needs much closet space to begin with," she explains.

"Fine. She moves in, but only if Ryan agrees with this. I don't want him uncomfortable in his own home since there have never been any females in the house that weren't considered family before. He gets the final say," I tell her, secretly hoping he says no.

"You do realize, Cato, that he'll probably be ecstatic over this? I think you're going to be the one that will be uncomfortable with a girl living in the house, not him. Oh, this will be interesting," she says the last part mostly to herself, but I still hear it and it irks the living shit out of me. "By the way, do you know how Katniss feels about all of this?" she questions.

"As far as I could tell, we were pretty much on the same page, though she barely said two words to me, not that I tried to talk to her either," I voice, being honest.

* * *

After my conversation with Clove, Ryan and I headed home. He finished his homework with some of my help while I cooked us dinner.

Sitting down to eat, I figure it's time to ask him about Katniss moving in.

"Hey, Bud?" I say to get his attention.

"Yeah, Cato?"

"I hear you've gotten close with Katniss when you go with Miss Clove and Mikey to the academy."

"Yes! She's so nice! She plays with me on her breaks, chasing me around the obstacle course and everything!" he excitedly tells me then stops to remember something. I realize that he probably won't be against her moving in, like Clove said. "She even bandaged my knee when she saw from her station that I banged it on the ropes course. Then, she even kissed it all better," Ry finishes with a shy smile. Shit, he sounds more attached than I thought. '_Motherly,_' Clove had told me.

"So you like her?" I ask him, obviously already knowing his response.

"Yeah… Cato, why?" Ryan questions me.

Here's the moment of truth. "How would you feel about her moving in?" I inquire, inwardly wincing, preparing myself for his delight while I want to smack my head against the wall because of this mess.

"Really?! Why? I mean, I'd love it, but I didn't think you knew her much." I don't, I think to myself.

Hmm. How can I word this for him to understand? "Well, Uncle Haymitch doesn't like her living by herself, and she offered to help us out so I would get to cut my hours at work back which means more time with you, bud."

"See, I told you she's nice!" Yeah, she didn't offer, but she never objected. He doesn't need to know the whole story; he's only seven years old, anyways. "I'd love it if you were around more as long as we can afford it."

Man, he doesn't need to worry about our money situation. "I'd love to spend more time with you, too," I earnestly tell him. "I miss spending more time with you, Ry."

We both smile at each other, liking the idea of me being around more. "When will she move in?"

"Not quite sure yet, possibly as soon as this weekend, but we have to make room for her, by cleaning out our third bedroom," I tell him, now wondering when I'll find the time to make this happen.

"I'll help!" Ry readily offers.

Problem solved, I suppose. Clove was right. This should be interesting. _Damn her._

* * *

**Please review! Another sincere thank you to those that have!**


	8. Chapter 8: Katniss

CHAPTER EIGHT: Katniss

When I left Chief's office, Haymitch followed me out and came back to my apartment with me.

Taking out my key for my door, he frowned. Searching in his pocket, he brought out another silver key and handed it to me.

"After they fixed your door, I had them change the locks, too," he clarifies.

"Thanks, Hay." I give him, what I hope is a reassuring smile. I know he wants me safe and I think he's been fretting over this more than I have all day. He returns one and I open the door and take in my apartment. I have to say, walking into your own home that is now a crime scene is unsettling, to say the least.

"You don't have to worry about disturbing anything. They thoroughly went through everything so you won't disrupt any evidence, now." What a comforting thought, I think as he explains. "Why don't you grab everything you need to get through the week at my place and we'll figure things out from there. I'll wait to help you carry things over," he offers.

I mostly just grab some clothing and my toiletries, as well as my pillow. I also go to my bookshelf to retrieve the book I've been reading along with a couple others to fill my free time and my photo album that Prim had made me before I moved. Other than those, and my computer, which Haymitch had already shouldered, I take my phone charger, as a last thought, and we're back out the door.

I try to neatly pile my belongings in the corner of his living room next to the couch as to not be so much of a burden while Haymitch cooks us dinner. When he finishes, I grab two cold beers out of his refrigerator and we sit down to eat.

"I have to say, I'm so glad I spent a week shopping for things I needed for my new apartment and unpacking everything just to have to pack it back up again. At least I kept the boxes to reuse," I bitterly mention over dinner. I should feel bad about what I said, and I'm sure I will once it settles in, but my life has already been changed so much moving here, and now I have to do it all over again. I'm not really looking forward to it. Plus, I've only ever lived with my mother and sister. It's been years since I've lived with a male, and that was my own father. I was always close to Gale, but never shared a home with him.

"I know, Sweetheart," he replies sympathetically, with a grimace marring his face. He then adds, as if to lighten the mood, "at least you never got around to painting." He gives me a hopeful smile and after such a trying day, I grace him with a genuine laugh that he joins in with. It must have relieved some of the tension from the day because the rest of our dinner conversation flows, as it usually does.

After I clean up the kitchen from dinner, we go outside to sit on the porch to relax before bed.

"Hay?" I start, "what can you tell me about Cato?" I ask.

He chuckles. "I've been waiting for that question all afternoon, what took you so long?" I give him a look, wanting to smack him. "Alright, alright. Where to start…he's been raising his brother since he was eighteen, shortly after that, he started police training. He went to high school with Clove and her husband so he, luckily, had an in which the chief. He could have used all the help he could get back then."

"Eighteen? He can't be much older than me, and that would have made Ry, what? One at most?" I ask him interrupting, in awe of Cato, if that's the case. I can't imagine how hard that must have been. I never had to take responsibility for Prim until she was six. Even though I was still young, I never had to worry about diapers or potty training and such.

"He's twenty-five, just like you, Sweetheart. And Ryan was only three months old when Cato became his guardian. Battled for full custody and everything. He's an honest to good kid. Everyone at the station is proud of all that he's done for his brother. The second Ry was born, I don't think he's done a single thing for himself." I can only admire Cato for what he's done. I know what it's like to give your all for a sibling.

"If you're thinkin' you two got a lot in common, I believe you're right. He might not open up to you about it, though. Just a warning, his past is usually not up for discussion, but if you take the initiative and share your story, how you took care of Prim, he may open up," he shares with me, shrinking away like he's waiting for the backlash to his comment.

"Haymitch, you're the only one to know my story here, even back home, only those considered family knew. I'm not exactly up for sharing my life story, either," I remind him.

"I know. It was just a thought."

"What happened with his parents?" I inquire, surely not expecting much of an answer. It's too personal and probably not his place to tell me. He shakes his head at me, telling me to talk to Cato if I ever want an answer to that question, much like Clove told me. "Figured as much."

* * *

I've been staying with Haymitch for the past week and he's been very accommodating. I feel like this is a practice round living with a guy, before the real deal. It took us about a day or two to fall into somewhat of a routine. Mostly just working around the one bathroom ordeal. I'm not very girly and I don't take much time in the bathroom, but if we end up with similar work hours, we have to make sure there's time and hot water for both of us. On the second day, I ended up bringing my coffee maker over to use along with his to satisfy our high intakes of caffeine. Neither of us are very good with mornings. It would be hysterical if we weren't so miserable at the early hour.

On Thursday, it was decided that I'd be moving to Cato's on Saturday afternoon, when he gets done his shift. So, every night Haymitch has helped me box up my belongings and Johanna has been buying some things off of me because her apartment is rather bare. Mostly, she's taken a couple of my shelving units, as well as many of my kitchen appliances, as I won't need them at Cato's house. I also sold my couch to someone else in our apartment complex and I was surprised I got any money for that ratty old thing at all. I was told that I'll only need bedroom furniture and was advised to find something to hang my clothes up in, as I will not have an actual closet. No big deal.

Haymitch also told me that I would not have any problems breaching my leasing contract. He told the people in the leasing office that I was barely here a month before having my apartment violated and that I didn't feel safe living here so they agreed to wave the fee to break my lease. I have to admit, being friends with a cop is helpful.

I'm still nervous about this move and I haven't told any one back home about it, either. I don't want to worry my sister, and my mother has no room to comment on my safety; she knows better. Plus, if Gale or Rory found out, they'd probably show up on my doorstep ready to beat down who ever did it, on top of whisking me back home so they can protect me. I really don't know what to say to them and I know I'll have to come up with something soon, as I'll have to call Prim to tell her my change of address. I'm not looking forward to her barrage of questions, which she'll surely spew out at a ridiculously high rate.

It's now Friday night, the night before I move and I just set the table for Haymitch and I. He's been eying me closely all night and I'm about to explode at him if he doesn't speak soon.

"You ready for this tomorrow?" he asks me, knowing my answer will be in the definite 'no' category.

"What do you think, Hay?" I respond, clearly testy due to my nerves.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I've been thinkin' though, Sweetheart. It might not be bad to have a back-up plan." Now, we're talking, I think, and I give him an expectant look. "In the case that this new situation blows up in our faces, and _only_ if, that maybe we should talk about what happens then. I say if, because I really do want you guys to honestly try. But," he begins, "in case it doesn't work, maybe you and I could get a two bedroom apartment. I still want Cato to be able to spend more time with his brother because they both need it, so in the event that occurs, we could still give them the money we both save in sharing an apartment to keep Cato's work hours down. How does that sound?" I know this is only if shit hits the fan, but it's nice to know he realizes this could arise. You never know what could happen when putting two people together under pressure.

"That sounds reasonable, Hay. Thank you." I hope I sound as sincere as I feel because I couldn't have thought of a better idea.

* * *

The next afternoon arrives all to quickly for my taste. Johanna offered her help but I told her not to worry about it because Haymitch, Brutus, and Luke will be there in addition to Cato and I. I don't think we'll need that many people to help me move just bedroom furniture and a couple bags and boxes in, as I moved almost everything into my apartment by myself, but I have a feeling Hay and Brutus will be there as mediators making sure that Cato and I don't kill each other my first night. What little faith they have in us, after all, it was their brilliant idea in the first place.

"Got everything, Sweetheart?" Haymitch calls to me from my truck as I come out to the parking lot from locking his door.

I nod and toss him his apartment key while getting into my driver's seat. I take one deep breath and release it before throwing the truck into drive and heading to Cato's. Haymitch figured he would just ride there with me, as Brutus or Luke can take him home.

He gives me instructions and I find us to be in a beautiful neighborhood. Modest homes line the street with kids playing in the yards. I find that I like it. Cato's home looks like a small country cottage with a front porch, slightly enclosed with white lattice with some ivy crawling up it. The house itself is white, with green trim and shutters. Well, so far, so good, I think to myself getting out of my truck.

"Hey, look who it is! Cato's new roomie!" Brutus yells and Cato successfully smacks the back of his head. I'd thank him because I couldn't reach from where we stand, but my nerves seem to have clamped my mouth shut. So I just smile shyly to the men.

Brutus and Luke greet me with warm hugs while Haymitch says hi to Cato, then we all stand there awkwardly, the three men waiting to see how Cato and I interact with one another. I give him a nod hello that he slowly returns. Haymitch, thankfully, takes the initiative to break the ice. "Where's Ryan?" he asks Cato and I'm wondering the same thing. His bundle of happy energy would be perfect right about now.

"He's staying over Clove's with Mikey tonight. He'll be back in the morning," Cato tells us. Oh, I guess he did that to allow us time to get to know each other and get situated. Wonderful. Now I really wish Ry were here.

"Gotcha." Seems Haymitch came to the same conclusion as me and he gives me an understanding look. "Let's get this show and the road then, shall we?" Thank you Hay, once again. I will never stop owing this man.

"Let's do this!" Luke hoots, bounding over to my truck and grabbing the first thing he can get his hands on to move into the house.

An hour later, everything was moved into the house and placed where it should go in the bedroom. It's not a large room, but I don't need much space. The best part about it, are the two large windows on the two outside walls, welcoming in a lot of natural light. The room, itself, is painted a light green. My optimistic side seems to think it's perfect. My pessimistic side, which seems to be stronger, still feels all the tension between Cato and me and I think it's anything but perfect.

Haymitch and Brutus were adamant about putting my closet compartment together while I settled the rest of my things into the room and Luke had taken Cato into the kitchen to grab a beer once everything was moved inside. I couldn't think of a better time for a drink, but I rather hide away in my room as long as possible.

"Son of a bitch!" Haymitch yells but my attention was averted to him a second before hand, when I caught a screwdriver being tossed across the room out of the corner of my eye. Brutus is grumbling along with Haymitch's mumbled curses and when I begin to snicker, I receive twin evil eyes from the two men.

"I'd offer my help, but it looks like you guys got this under control." Brutus picks up another screwdriver like he's about to throw it at me and I run from the room laughing, only to hit a hard wall of flesh. "Oomph!" I feel two strong arms encase me, steadying me to make sure I don't fall. Slowly, I look up to find Cato curiously eyeing me.

"Blondie! Get Sweetheart out of here before we kill her!" Haymitch yells to him. I can't help but continue my giggles and run to join Luke, downstairs, in the kitchen where he readily offers me a cold beer. I gratefully take it, hoping that it will calm my nerves some.

"What the hell was that all about?" Cato asks me coming into the kitchen not far behind me.

"Oh. They wouldn't let me put my closet thing together, but they've been working on it for an hour and it's still in pieces all over the bedroom. Haymitch threw a screwdriver and cursed and I began to laugh, but when Brutus heard me, he threatened that I'd be the target of his screwdriver," I tell them while giggling to myself, recalling the situation upstairs. They're hopeless. "I wouldn't recommend going up there, guys. They seem to be getting a little testy," I warn them.

"Guess it's a good thing they're cops and not carpenters," Luke jokes.

"I'd have to agree with you," Cato adds.

Five minutes later, we hear Haymitch and Brutus stomping towards the kitchen. "That's it, we've had it!" Haymitch exclaims, throwing his arms up dramatically. "Blondie, do your new roomie a favor and put that damn thing together for her. I recommend you take Luke with you. You need more than two hands, I guarantee it." This time I get to smack Haymitch over the back of his head for the roomie comment.

"Thank you for that," Cato says smirking.

"Just returning the favor, as you did it to Brutus when we got here." I smirk back.

"See? You two are already working together. How nice!" We both glare at Haymitch, but when I reach for him he runs around the kitchen table out of my reach like a freaking five year old. Dammit, he's faster than I would have assumed.

"Tell you guys what, I'll order some pizza while you guys work on that closet. Sound good?" Brutus offers. We all enthusiastically nod.

"You know Hay, I'm not helpless, I can put the thing together myself," I offer.

"Yes, I'm sure you can, but, do my ego a favor and don't even try it. I already got owned by a piece of furniture today, I don't need to be showed up by a little girl too. Learn to play damsel in distress, Sweetheart. Be lazy for once in your life." This makes me growl and he snickers at me.

"Tell you what, my girlfriend emasculates me enough, that I'm used to it," Luke says. "If Cato and I fail, it'll be gladly left to your capable hands." This leads all of us to break out laughing and it makes me thankful that if Ryan can't be here to ease the tension, it seems that Luke is good for the job, too.

"Deal," I smile.

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	9. Chapter 9: Cato

CHAPTER NINE: Cato

It was no wonder why Brutus and Mitch gave up on that stupid thing. That closet was not an easy task but I threatened Luke that we better get it done because I didn't need Katniss to be one up on me the second she moves into this house. It took us a little over a half hour, but we got it done. We even tested it by hanging up a large camouflage jacket, too large to be hers; it must be an ex-boyfriend's of hers or something.

By the time we finished up in Katniss' room the pizza came and we all settled into the kitchen to eat. The air seemed a little lighter, but I knew that if Ryan was here, we'd all be better at ease. I have a feeling that everyone believes that I sent him to Clove's to be able to get acquainted with Katniss this evening alone. It wasn't. Clove had him stay over to leave us to be alone and I'm not too thrilled with her for that.

When the guys all got up to leave Haymitch pulled me aside making sure that it went unnoticed.

"What's this about Mitch?" I ask as he grabs my elbow and takes me into my living room.

"Listen, I know you aren't happy about these arrangements but I don't want you to do a damn thing that could hurt her, do you understand me? She's special and you'd be wise to take notice." I nod to him in understanding, not knowing quite how to respond to that statement. "Good. Just so you know, she's a nervous wreck about this. She's been on edge all week, more upset about this move than having her apartment broken into. Play nice with her tonight. I'm sure things will be easier tomorrow with your brother around to take the spotlight, rather than this new living situation," he tells me, and it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one nervous about this move.

"Mitch, why are you so attached to her? I mean, I know you love Ry, but he's just a little kid that's hard not to care for, but Katniss? What made you decide to care for her?" I question him, genuinely interested.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out, kid," Mitch smirks at me. What the hell is that suppose to mean?

We head back into the kitchen to see Katniss being hugged good-bye by Brutus and Luke. When she sees Mitch come out, she runs over to him and gives him a tight hug while kissing him on the cheek and he kisses her forehead. I honestly have never seen Mitch like this before. They even look alike, I realize, and she could probably pass for his biological daughter. The thought makes me laugh.

"You two have fun now!" Brutus calls from the driveway as the others are following him out the door. Katniss gives me a look and I think we're both thinking the same thing. _We don't see the fun in this._

Without a word, she leaves me at the front door and goes back upstairs, probably back to her room. She must want to finish putting everything away now that her closet is successfully built, but I realize it's getting late and I might as well use this time wisely with her. We still have to cover the basics and I rather not do it tomorrow with Ry around to listen incase we hit a snag in the road. So, I head upstairs and knock on the doorframe, as her door was already propped open. Regardless, I still manage to make her jump.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," I say with a smile trying to be nice.

"Not a problem, what's up?" she nervously asks.

"You want to come down stairs for a minute? I'd like to talk to you and we still have some things to figure out." It really would be best to get this all out of the way, so tomorrow, we can all start fresh.

"Sure." We both head back down stairs to the kitchen and Katniss offers to put on a pot of tea. I don't usually drink the stuff, but she must want to drink it to relax; it doesn't sound like a bad idea. "So, how much do you want me to pay you each month?" she asks, and I'm caught off guard by how straight forward she is.

"Um. I haven't worked out the numbers yet, but I wanted to talk to you about a few other things first." She pours two mugs of tea and brings them over to the table for us.

"Okay, like what?" She sits up straight looking to get prepared for questioning, but her squared shoulders and lifted chin tells me she will not be bullied. I can begin to see why Mitch first liked her.

"First off, I have to ask, do you use any drugs?" I know that if she works at SSDA that they get tested for use there, but you never know.

"No, not my thing. Just a casual beer or glass of wine, as you've witnessed and I take care to never over do it," she tells me openly, not in the least bit offended so far. Good.

"Do you own any weapons?" I have to make sure Ryan is safe. I know she would never harm him like that, but I want to make sure he can't get his hands on anything that he could hurt himself with.

"I have a couple of knives, but that's it. I have a small safe that I keep them in, except for my boot blade. I usually keep that close to my bed when it's not on my person. I know you're asking for Ry's sake so I'll trade the knife for a bat and lock it up with the rest of them when it's not on me, is that ok?" Damn, she thought this through, maybe more than I have. I nod my head at her, trying to come up with anything else we might need to cover.

"While I'm thinking of Ryan," I start, "I hope you're okay with sharing the hall bathroom with him upstairs. Just watch out for his bath toys. He tends to leave them all over the place," I warn her. Mitch would kill me if she breaks her neck here.

"That's not a problem," she replies with a smile. I'm starting to like when she wears a smile. It transforms her whole face and truly makes her beautiful.

I stop that train of thought right then. I can't be thinking of her that way. I don't do the girlfriend thing, and, hell, I've only been on a small handful of dates since Ryan came into my life.

"I know the agreement was only to help pay your bills and help with the house keeping, but when you work nights, I'd love to offer to watch Ryan for you. I know he's best friends with Clove's son and they've been looking out for him, but it's an option if they ever can't," Katniss warily offers, but looking hopeful. It'd be nice not to have to pick him up all of the time, but I don't know her. I just don't know her. "Even if you go out for some social affair or a date, perhaps?"

"Excuse me? Do I look like I date or have much of a social life?" I start at her, annoyed that she'd suggest something personal, like dating.

"Well, you're a single man. It's possible. I don't know," She states defensively, looking down and twisting her hands.

"I don't date. Anything social that I attend, Ryan is usually involved." I state, making it closed for discussion.

"I understand," she says simply.

"No, you don't. You don't know what it's like to be responsible for a seven-year-old boy, that isn't even your own son. Don't act like you do!" I slam my fist down on the table, making her jump.

"You're right. I never had to be responsible for a seven-year-old boy. I was responsible for a seven-year-old girl!" She raises her voice at me. Shit. This isn't going well. I forgot about what Clove said, already, about her taking care of her sister.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I sincerely apologize to her. I have to remember that I don't know her, so I shouldn't be so quick to judge.

"Don't assume anything about me. Let's just forget about it." She shakes her head.

"Alright, but listen, I appreciate your offer…," I start to say but she cuts me off.

"…but you don't know or trust me yet," she finishes with a small grin.

"Yeah. I know you like my brother and have been kind to him, and to be honest, he's taken to you too, but I just don't know how this will work out yet and we don't know each other yet. What I'm trying to say is until after a little time, once we learn things about one another and we think this situation is going to work out, then your offer would work." I'm truly awful at speaking my mind. This is not a good start, I think to myself.

"Listen, Cato. I get it. Hell, I more than get it. Damn it. This is when Haymitch would probably like me to tell you all about me, but, damn. Okay, I'm awful at speaking." She shakes her head at herself and I begin to chuckle. I guess she does get it. She hears me laughing and she glares at me. Uh oh.

"What's so funny?" she sneers. Well, we were doing well.

"I'm not laughing at you, Katniss," I try to pacify her. "I'm just laughing at this whole situation. It's awkward and I understand not being a very eloquent speaker. I'm not one either," I tell her trying to relate so we can go back to her not glaring at me. For such a pretty girl, and fairly small in comparison to me, although she's about Clove's size, that glower she's got can startle you. I just would never admit that.

"Fine," she relents. "Cato," she begins, but seems uneasy to continue. I'm curious what she wanted to say so I lift my brow at her to urge her on. She sighs and puts her elbows on the table and rests her face in her palms. She looks frustrated and I realize this is all very trying for the both of us, but I don't understand what has her so upset all of a sudden. She speaks into her palms, "I promised Hay to try and make this work. Unfortunately for that to happen, I realize that means we both have to understand each other. That's really difficult to do if I don't know anything about you. The thing is, I don't like sharing my business with people, so I get it if you don't either, but that complicates things. I've come to the conclusion that either we agree to just trust and respect each other based off of our instincts, or we can swap stories. This is your house, so I'll leave that decision up to you. You already received an unwanted house guest, I'm not here to pressure you into any thing more." She takes a deep breath and finally looks up to meet my eyes. Again, I'm lost to them and it takes me a minute to realize she's waiting for a response. To be honest, I'm not up for baring my soul this late of an hour tonight, and probably never.

"I'll say this. I want to trust and respect you. I don't want to get into my history, though. Maybe we can save that for a rainy day," I suggest, though probably giving her false hope of knowing me at all.

"You want to trust me and respect me, but you're saying you don't?" she says giving me a questioning gaze. Shit, I worded that wrong. I think. "Let's just call it a night, Cato," she proposes to me. "We aren't getting anywhere tonight with this and it's late, after all. Let's just sleep on it and as far as the bills go, just let me know." With that, she heavily sighs and gets up to put her teacup in the dishwasher, then heads for the stairs without another word.

"Katniss," I call out to her and she turns around with a tired gaze, lingering to hear what I have to say. "Good night. If you need anything, you know where to find me," I tell her, deflating from all that has happened today.

"Night, Cato." She gives me a small, crooked smile, probably in attempt to be reassuring, so I try to smile back.

When she's out of sight, I recline and throw my head back still sitting at my kitchen table and wipe both of my hands over my face and groan. This has been such a long day, and I don't see it getting better for a while.

I put my cup in the dishwasher and head up to my bedroom, quickly ridding myself of my clothes, only to be clad in my boxer briefs. I climb into bed hoping sleep will take me quickly.

* * *

Something loud rips me away from my deep slumber. I look at the clock and see that it says four AM. When I listen for another sound, I hear nothing. I decide to roll over and go back to sleep when I hear another sound. A scream. A heart-wrenching scream. At first I think it's Ryan having another nightmare, but I realize he's sleeping at Clove's and this voice is female.

I jump out of bed grabbing the bat by my door, no time for my pistol, and run to Katniss' room. My first thought is that those bastards that robbed her trailed her here but when I open her door, that thought is proved wrong. She's twisting and writhing in her bed with all of her blankets askew and there are tears drying on her cheeks and pillow.

If it were Ryan, I'd rush over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder to try to wake him gently, to avoid him lashing out. Then I'd dry his eyes and hold him close and chase all of his night demons away. But this isn't Ryan. This is a girl I practically just met, but for some reason I still want to hold her, take a gentle thumb to wipe away her tears, and chase all of her demons away.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ I walk over to her, taking caution not to get hit by her flailing limbs, and gently shake her out of her nightmare. She's startled awake and I'm met with glassy grey eyes that look lost and frightened at first. Then they're back to being guarded. Now I have to explain myself. Shit, this is awkward.

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	10. Chapter 10: Katniss

CHAPTER TEN: Katniss

I'm startled awake out of my awful nightmare. The same one I have almost every night; watching my father die before my eyes in almost every horrific way possible. Poor Haymitch had to deal with them when I stayed at his place and he would gently wake me and offer me a cup of tea and stayed to calm me down. Johanna only had to deal with it a couple nights. Her technique was to throw the closest thing to her at me. It was effective, though sometimes painful, but it was just typical Jo and I love her for that. She never questioned me about it and went back to sleep avoiding all awkwardness.

I open my eyes to be first met with icy blue eyes staring at me worriedly. Then I take notice of his lack of clothing, other than his black boxer briefs. His smooth hard chest, strong arms and ripped abs make me blush. Thankfully, it's still too dark in the room for him to notice.

Then everything settles in. I had a nightmare and woke him up and he came running without a second thought. I'm embarrassed and grateful that he would do such a thing. I realize I'm going to have to explain. Haymitch should have warned him of this.

"I can explain," Cato rushes out, sounding just as embarrassed as feel. "I heard you scream, I thought those guys that robbed you had followed you here." Oh, that sounds better than having to explain to him about my father dying every night.

"I'm sorry I woke you," I sheepishly tell him. If this keeps up, which I'm sure it will, he'll probably want to kick me out. I'll probably scare Ryan with my screams, too. Shit.

"It's fine," he gets up and turns on my bedside lamp which makes me pull the covers up to my chin as I sit up, dragging my knees insecurely to my body. In the light though, I notice scars peppering his torso; some small and straight, some large and the shape of crescent moons. What happened to him? That can't be from the job, right?

"No, I should have warned you, or Haymitch could have. I have nightmares often. I'm sorry. I should figure out a way to block the noise so I don't wake you and Ryan. I don't want to frighten him."

"Ryan won't hear a thing. He sleeps like a log. As for me, don't worry about it. Ryan has them too. I'm use to being woken up. Don't go sound proofing your room because then how am I suppose to protect you if it were to be an attacker?" he asks seriously.

"Oh, ok." It's all I can think to say.

"What do you dream about?" Crap. I might as well tell him. If he's going to come running every time it happens, then he deserves to know.

"They're all of my dad dying. Every night is something different," I tell him with my eyes downcast. I hate being weak and that is all I feel right now.

"How did it happen?" he questions, seeming generally interested.

"Tonight? Or when he actually died?" I respond, confused of what he means.

"Both, if you want to share."

"He died in a car accident with my best friend's father when I was ten. Tonight in my dream, he was brutally murdered, shot several times while on a mission for the Marines, except I was there for him to die in my arms." Cato looks totally at a loss with that information. Most people do. What can you say, 'I'm sorry?' People should know that sorry doesn't bring a person back or change anything. He looks like he's wracking his brain to reply back but I'll save him the trouble. "Don't worry about it, Cato."

"I'm truly sorry for your loss. I know that can't bring him back, but I am sorry," he says honestly. At least he understands there's not much to say to that.

"Thank you," I respond awkwardly.

He looks thoughtful for a moment then asks, "Is that your father's camouflage jacket in your closet?"

"Yes. It's all I have left of him," I answer in a small voice. It's so early in the morning and I hate talking about this. "Cato, what happened to you?" I ask, tilting my head and gesturing to his scars.

He stiffens at my action. "Well, lets just say that, other than Ryan, that's all I have left of my father," he rigidly utters back, something akin to pain in his rough voice. Now, I feel horrible for asking.

"I shouldn't have asked, Cato. I'm sorry," I voice putting my head down.

"Living under the same roof, we're bound to learn about each other at some point. Get some sleep, Katniss. I think Clove is dropping my brother off in a few hours and it's Sunday. We usually have a nice big breakfast, if you're interested." He offers me a smile and a goodnight while I drop back onto my damp pillow with questions swimming in my mind about his past, that I doubt I'll get answers to in the near future, if at all.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of joyous giggles and squeals coming from down stairs and look at my clock to see that it's past eight. Ryan must be home and I can't believe I slept in so late. It must be due to all the stress of this past week.

I throw on my robe and some slippers and head for the door. Just as I open it, I'm met with a blur of a small, blonde form skidding to a stop right in front of me then jumping into my arms, shrieking happily as I spin him around to greet him good morning.

"Ry! Get down here, you're going to disturb her!" I hear Cato call from the bottom of the steps in a loud whispered tone.

"Good morning to you, too!" I call back down to him. I usher Ryan down the stairs with me and make my way to the coffee maker.

"Morning, Katniss. Sorry if he woke you. He was excited to see you," he informs me while mock glaring at his brother with his hands on his hips. The sight makes me chuckle.

"No problem at all. Nothin' better than waking up to this happy face," I share with a real smile at the little boy while squishing his cheeks making us laugh.

"Alright," Cato sighs.

"How do you like it here, Kat?" Ryan asks enthusiastically, aside from his looks, even his mannerisms remind me of Prim.

"Well, it may take getting use to the change, but so far so good." Especially with him here now, I think to myself.

"I couldn't believe it when Cato told me you were moving in with us! I couldn't wait!" Ryan declares. I look to Cato and he has diverted his attention to the morning news but I could tell he was listening, because he's shaking his head at his brother's behavior and I see his shoulders shaking, hiding his laugh. "Can I show you my room, after breakfast? You have to see how Uncle Brutus and my brother decorated it. It's all dinosaurs!"

"Ryan, she might have things she has to do," Cato butts in.

"Ry, I'd love to see your bed room. I have nothing planned for the day," I enlighten him. He squeals with more excitement jumping up and down. I'm going to need more coffee to keep up with this kid.

"Can Kat come to the beach with us later then, Cato? She has nothing to do." He turns questioning his brother.

"You don't have work today?" As of yesterday afternoon, I knew that Cato had to work later today.

"Nope, seems Chief started my family time early. Gave me the day off, so Luke and I were going to take Ry to the beach. You're more than welcome to come. I think Luke wanted to bring his girlfriend for us to meet, so you'll have a girl there to talk to," he offers.

"Sounds great. I haven't been to the beach in years," I mention. The last time was shortly after I graduated high school and Gale and I took all of the kids for the day, but that was seven or eight years ago.

"WHAT?!" Ryan exclaims. "How can you not go to the beach, it's one of the best places in the world and now I'll actually go in the water! You have to come with us, Kat!" I can't say no to that face.

"You got it kiddo," I tell him with a smile.

We end up cooking breakfast together. Ryan helps me make pancakes while Cato cooks the bacon and sausage. I make Ry's pancakes like I use to do for Prim when she was little. Making it look like a Mickey Mouse, molding three pancakes together. Ryan looks on in awe and gleefully takes them.

When we sit down to eat our breakfast, I take in the family scene of a sit down meal that we all worked together to make. It takes me by surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and find that I look forward to every Sunday breakfast.

* * *

After we ate, I helped Cato clean up the kitchen. It was a silent task, but for once with him, it was a comfortable silence. Ryan skillfully whisked me away to see his room the second we were done, and he was right. His room is dinosaurs from top to bottom. They're painted on the wall and figurines line his shelves and dresser. I have to say, it's cool. I would have never taken Brutus or Cato to have such a talent at painting.

Once we were all ready for the beach, the three of us piled into Cato's truck. Ryan had asked for the radio to be turned on and both brothers sang along to the country songs playing in the background, while I took in our surroundings. I was told it's only a twenty to thirty minute drive, depending on traffic but was amazed to find that the majority of the stretch we drove, was surrounded by what they informed me to be marshlands. I thought it was beautiful, the way the tall grasses and water glistened in the morning sun and swayed with the breeze. Birds I never saw before flew over the mass of land, uninhabited by a single person. Being a wilderness person back home, it was nice to get out of the town and see what the wilderness here has to offer. It is a major change from the tall pines and maples that filled the mountainous forests in Pennsylvania. It's so flat here, I feel like I can see for miles.

"The beach we're going to is called Tybee Island. During tourist season, it can be fairly crowded, but it's becoming the off season since the kids are back in school now. It should be pretty laid back," Cato calls my attention.

I turn and give him a big grin. "I'm excited and this is a beautiful drive."

"I take it you like being out in the wild than the city?" He picked up on that fast.

"What was your first clue?" I ask jokingly.

He laughs. "The fact that the second we got out of town, you put your window down and took a deep breath like you hadn't breathed fresh air since you got here." Damn, was I that obvious? "If you like wildlife so much, it's a good thing we're heading to the beach this time of year," he starts. "In August and September, sea turtles have laid their eggs up on the beaches and sometimes there are sightings of them hatching." That would be fantastic.

"I've never seen a sea turtle," I respond in awe of the idea.

"They're so cool! Cato and I got to watch them hatch two years ago!" Ryan yells eagerly from the back seat.

When we get there, we park by a beach access on the side of a road behind a white truck.

"Well, if it isn't brainless!" I hear as I exit Cato's truck. I turn and find a tall, fit, shorthaired woman climbing out of the truck in front of us.

"Jo!" I exclaim running over to her to hug her hello. "Wait. You're Luke's girlfriend?" I ask perplexed why she had never told me. Now I get Luke's comment last night that he's use to being emasculated.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag now," I hear Luke yell from the Cato's truck. "Didn't realize you two knew each other."

"Luke, we work together, love," Johanna says slowly, as if she were talking to a small child.

Johanna then turns to me. "Maybe he should be called brainless. So, how's livin' with Mr. Mom and the munchkin over there?" Leave it to Jo to cut right to the chase and the 'Mr. Mom' comment makes us both crack up.

"We'll yesterday was tense and awkward, but with Ryan today, it's gone really well so far…we'll see." I share honestly.

"Well then, good for you." She then calls to all the males, "Let's get goin' guys! I bet Ry, here, wants to play! My grandmother moves faster than ya'll!"

"Jo, relax, we have to unload the trucks! And we all know that it's you, who wants to go play. Don't put it on Ry!" Luke hollers back.

"He's got a point, Jo," I say to her, quietly enough so the boys don't hear me taking their side.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbles. I swear she's like a ten year old trapped in a twenty-eight year old's body.

Ryan takes my hand in his small one and I notice his other hand is in Cato's. We share a brief smile and carry our things onto the beach. I take in the smell of salt water and the large stretch of beach Tybee Island has to offer. In one direction, I spot a long fishing pier and in the other direction, what looks to be an old black and white lighthouse in the distance. It's breathtaking. I'm really starting to like living here.

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	11. Chapter 11: Ryan BONUS

**Bonus chapter. I just had to get into Ryan's head a little. :) It's not as long as previous chapters, but a new chapter will be up soon!**

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CHAPTER ELEVEN: Ryan

This whole morning, I think I've been happier than I have been in a long time. I really like being around Katniss. She makes me feel special, like Cato does. I watch when she smiles at people and I always compare it to how she smiles at me. Most people smile at me like I'm just another cute kid they're forced to be around, well, other than those considered to be family. Those smiles are real. But I've noticed that whenever Kat smiles at me, her eyes light up. She's told me all about her sister, Prim, when I go with Miss Clove to her work. I can only think how lucky Prim is to have a sister like Kat. She's so nice!

When we made breakfast together this morning, I felt like maybe I'd finally get a mom. I never had one before. Even though Cato does so much for me and Miss Clove takes care of me, it's not the same. Miss Clove already has a son and Cato is a great father figure, but at school I always see my friend's moms and how they are and I'd never tell Cato, but it makes me jealous. I know I shouldn't be, I'm so lucky to have Cato. He's always been my hero and I hope to be just as strong and as good as he is one day.

On the way to the beach, I was happy to be with my brother again and looking forward to spending more time with Katniss. Even though I was singing along to the songs from the backseat, acting like I was in my own little world, I was watching. Once in a while, I could tell they weren't friends yet, but I saw the smiles they shared here and there. I've never seen Cato smile at a girl before. So when we got to the beach I took both of their hands, pretending for one day, at least, that I come from a normal family with a mom and a dad and I like that it made them smile at each other.

The grown-ups carry everything onto the beach and set up camp, laying towels and blankets down in the middle while spreading their chairs around the border. Miss Johanna runs straight for my beach toys.

"Ryan! You want to build a sandcastle or something?" she asks me while holding up my bag of toys. I like her.

"Yeah!" I exclaim, excited to play.

"Well let's go!" She yells to me and we head down closer to the water to use the wet sand.

While we built in the sand, what seems to be an entire town as well as a castle and a mermaid, she asks me all about school and my friends, but then she starts to ask about Cato and Katniss.

"So, how do you like Katniss moving in with you guys?" She questions me.

"I love it! Kat is great! She makes awesome pancakes!" I tell her.

"She never made me pancakes," she grumbles. I can't blame her, I'd be jealous too.

"Maybe you and Luke can come to our Sunday breakfast next week and she'll make you some," I offer.

"Yum!" I hope that she can come around more, now that I know she's with Luke and works with Miss Clove and Kat. She's really fun and likes to play, but she doesn't have cooties like the girls my age do, since she's older and all. One of my friend's sister's told us that at a certain age, girls get cootie shots. "Why don't we get the guys and Katniss to come down and check out our master piece? What do you say?" She asks me excitedly once we're done.

"'Kay!" I say with a smile. We both run back up to where everyone else is, all laying in the sun being boring. "Hey guys!" I greet them and they all smile back in response.

"Hey! Y'all need to come check out our work!" Miss Johanna says from behind me. Everyone laughs at her kid ways. I don't see what's wrong with it. Luke, Cato, and Katniss all get up and follow us down to the water to see our sand buildings.

"Woah, this is so awesome, Ry!" Luke says, complimenting me. Kat and my brother both enthusiastically agree.

"Hey! I helped, guys!" Miss Johanna pouts at them. We all laugh and suddenly I'm up in the air. I look down to see my brother grinning up at me and I have a feeling we're about to get wet. I squeal in excitement and kick my legs trying to get free. All of a sudden I hear Miss Jo threatening Luke to put her down and see him carrying her in his arms into the water next to my brother and me. Katniss is running back to the beach. I don't know why. I hope she doesn't feel left out, but soon she reappears in just her bathing suit and I realize she just needed to get rid of her cover up. I'm glad she's coming to join us.

"Kat!" I yell to her when she gets closer to us, just at the point where the waves are breaking, as the rest of us are out near a sandbar.

"I'm comin', bud!" She calls back with a big grin.

We all laugh and play in the water for what feels like hours. Maybe it was. Suddenly, Katniss asks us, "What's going on up there?" She points up near the dunes where a bunch of people are gathered. If I remember correctly from when we came on to the beach, there was a section blocked off marking a nest. Then it hits me.

"Turtles!" I scream and squirm in my brother's arms wanting to get back to the beach.

"Relax, Ry," my brother tells me. "Let's get back up there, Ry wants to see the turtles hatching, if that's what it is. Plus, I'm sure Katniss would love to see her first sea turtle," he tells everyone, landing a smile in Kat's direction at the end, which in turn, makes me happy.

The grown-ups swim ashore hurriedly, me in tow, to go see what's happening. We get up there and Luke speaks an older man, looking older than Uncle Haymitch and Brutus with a big belly and dark, tanned skin and white hair with matching white facial hair.

"What's going on here?" Luke asks the older man.

"Turtles are hatching," he mumbles not even looking at Luke, but in the direction of the nest.

"I realize a lot of people want to see this, but mind if we let the little kid through, as well as our friend here? She's never seen a sea turtle before. She's not from around here." The man and several other people around him nod their heads to Luke.

"Katniss, why don't you take Ry and see yourselves some turtles," Luke tells Kat.

"Sounds good to me. What do you say, Ry?" she asks me, giving me that same smile she seems to save just for me while offering out her hand for me to take. I smile back at her and put my small hand into her larger one, though it's much smaller than Cato's, and we head into the crowd to get a look.

Katniss crouches down to next to me, watching the little turtles hatching from their eggs. They crawl over each other to get out of the cage that protected the eggs to get to the sea where they belong. They're so cute and there are a lot of them!

I'm giggling and smiling and I look over to Kat, my hand still in her's and I see her grinning like me. She looks over to me and takes her hand from mine to put around my shoulders and pulls me in. She's warm and soft and smells earthy. Most people smell like sweat and seawater around here, but I find I like the way she smells and enjoy the embrace.

When most of the turtles have left the nest area, Kat takes my hand again and pulls us out of the crowd back to my brother and everyone.

"What'd you guys think?" My brother asks us while pulling me in to a hug around his waist.

I beam up at him and Katniss responds, "That was one of the best experiences I've ever had," she breathes out still grinning. "I wish you all could have seen it too!"

Miss Jo points to where the turtles are meeting the sea. "Oh, we still got to watch, Brainless," she grins. I don't know why she calls her brainless. Kat seems smart to me.

"Oh, wow. Look at 'em all go! I can't believe how many there are!" I watch my brother out of the corner of my eye smile on at Katniss briefly but I don't let him catch me.

"My science teacher told me last week that if they are male or female depends on how deep each egg is!" I share with them. I thought that was so cool! I just forget which is which. I don't remember if the deeper buried ones are the males or females. I feel myself frown trying to remember and of course my brother sees, not liking me look upset.

"That's great information, Ry. Thanks for sharing!" Cato tells me honestly, and the rest nod in agreement. "But what's wrong, bud?" he asks crinkling his eyebrows together looking down at me. I hate when he worries, but I know he does it because he loves me.

"I just can't remember if the ones buried deeper are the boys or the girls," I tell him sheepishly, embarrassed I forgot.

"That's what the Internet is for Ryan. I wouldn't think to even look that up if you hadn't shared what you did remember. We'll look it up when we get home, don't you worry!" Kat reassures me. I have to admit, I like that she said 'home.'

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**As always, please review! Thanks! :) Hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter 12: Cato

**A major thank you to all of my loyal readers and reviewers!**

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CHAPTER TWELVE: Cato

If today is any indication of how Katniss will affect my life, I don't know why I ever griped about the idea. Last night though, I thought this whole plan was just one big mistake. The tension in the air was palpable and I felt uncomfortable in my own home but I think something shifted when I woke Katniss from her dream. By the time I left her bedroom, I could see the change in her eyes when she looked at me. What surprised me though, when she asked about my scars I saw the horror in her eyes when I told her they're from my father, but I didn't see the pity that other people give. Somehow, they showed respect and it put me at more at ease. My sole reason for keeping my history to myself is to avoid pity, aside of protecting Ryan. Katniss may be the only person I may openly explain my past to if this brief encounter indicates anything. That thought both frightens and thrills me.

Making breakfast this morning all together was astonishingly fun. Katniss and I seemed to fall slightly in sync moving around the small kitchen but when we would bump into each other it was a completely new sensation. At one point, we both went to the fridge to retrieve something. I was waiting behind her and when she pulled the stubborn door open she stepped back into me. Just like when she ran from her room away from Mitch and Brutus, she collapsed into me. This time I took the time and recognized her soft olive skin under my rough calloused hands and felt her long wavy hair, for once out of it's braid, brush my arm feeling like silk when I went to steady her. The biggest mistake was taking in her scent. Katniss smelled heavenly of pine and an unfamiliar spice. I had to quickly escape from her immediate area to clear my head.

Sitting down, just the three of us, to eat had made me content in a way I've never been before. I could tell that Ryan loved Katniss already and the way she looks at him, she must feel the same. I noticed she gives him this rare smile that I hadn't witnessed on my own. Ryan made it easy for conversation to flow, keeping the topics light and it made me wish he had been here yesterday all the more. So, when Ryan had asked if Katniss could join us at the beach today, I had buried any qualms of spending time with her and readily invited her to join. It was the beginning of a perfect day.

It fascinated me to see her take in the views on the drive, watching from my peripheral vision as her faced changed from excitement to an almost childlike wonder. For someone who tends to keep a stony face and known to be independent and fiery, I was amazed by her natural purity and innocence. It made me glad that I chose to protect her. No matter how strong this woman may be, that innocence needs to be guarded. I lost mine, having to fight for my life so young and no one deserves to have it taken from him or her.

I was pleased to see that her childish fascination continued throughout the day, especially when everyone played in the ocean together and she watched the turtles hatch with my brother. I never knew her to look so happy before. I have got to admit though, when she disappeared up onto the beach when I picked my brother up to go swimming, I almost dropped him when I saw her return. Lithe and lean in her conservative, black, two-piece bikini, she was picturesque as she gracefully moved towards us. I realized then, that this young woman may just be the death of everything I've fought to avoid ever since Ryan came into my life. I still can't figure out how that should make me feel; panic parallels relief while confusion sets into ultimate clarity and I'm lost somewhere among them in the middle of my fragmented emotions.

I shake my head in attempt to clear out those unwanted thoughts as I pull into the driveway. It had been a quiet ride back, as both Katniss and Ryan fell asleep from the day's excitement and left me alone with my thoughts the whole drive.

I finally look over to Katniss when I pull in and I realize she looks years younger when she sleeps, adorable all the same with her sun kissed cheeks and slightly chapped lips parted. I smile as I go to shake her awake, thinking that I won't bother to wake Ryan and just carry him up to his bed.

"Katniss, we're home," I tell her in a soft voice. I never thought I'd like saying home so much before.

"Hmm?" She hums out sleepily still lost to her dreams. My chuckle at her response seems to rouse her and she blinks her bleary, grey eyes in my direction with a sleepy smile.

"We're home," I tell her again. "I gotta carry Ry in. I'll unpack the truck after I take Ry to bed, but would you be able to open the front door for me?" I ask and she just nods while wiping the sleep from her eyes.

We both climb out of the car, taking care not to slam to doors and wake my brother. I go to open the door to the back seat of my truck and undo his seatbelt to take him into my arms. I cradle him to my chest like I've done since the day he was born, being careful not to jostle him. Katniss opens the door for us and we all head up the stairs, Katniss going to her room, probably to change, and I take my brother to his room. It's still early in the night, about eight-thirty, but he had a long day. Just as we head our separate ways at the top of the stairs, Ry wakes up in my arms.

"Where we goin', Cato?" He mumbles tiredly.

"We're home, bud. Let's get you to bed," I tell him, smiling down at him.

"Wait!" Magically he's wide-awake and starts to pull himself to look over my shoulder. "I want to say goodnight to Kat!"

"I'm right here Ry," Katniss says from behind me. I turn around so Ryan can see her better. "Why don't you get ready for bed and have Cato let me know when you're all tucked in and I'll come in to say goodnight? I'm going to get changed myself," she says to him with a kind smile.

Ryan settles back into my arms and nods his head, "Okay." He smiles back at her and I take him into his room.

My brother gets changed out of his suit and goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth, while I wait sitting on his dinosaur comforter. When he comes back, he settles between his sheets and I tuck the blankets around him.

"Can you get Kat now? Then you can tuck me in," he suggests to me. I nod, but before I go to get up and retrieve her, she's knocking on the doorframe, changed into her pajama bottoms and a tank top wearing her blue robe that compliments her eyes.

"Just wanted to see if you were ready for me to say goodnight." Ryan nods his head and throws his arms out wanting a hug from her. Katniss and I both lightly laugh at the gesture.

"Goodnight Kat!" My brother says to her while she holds him tight. She lays him back down, letting him go out of the embrace.

"Goodnight Ry," she says while bending down, taking one hand to brush his bangs off of his forehead and placing a sweet kiss there before standing and heading towards the door. "See you in the morning, bud," she smiles then leaves the two of us alone and I can hear her retreating down the stairs.

"You get to sleep, Ry. You got school tomorrow," I tell him before I bend down and kiss his head as I do every night. "Love you, bud. Sweet dreams."

"Love you too, Cato." I go to turn his dinosaur night-light on and head to leave his room. As I get to the door I hear him say, "thank you for letting Kat stay here," in a tired voice.

"You're welcome." If only he knew what I thought of it before. I go downstairs and I hear two things: The whistle of a teapot and Katniss talking to someone. I wait at the bottom of the stairs, blanketed by the darkness in the hallway outside of the kitchen, not wanting to disturb her.

"He reminds me of you, Prim, when you were little," I hear her say in a dreamy, reminiscent voice. She must be talking about my brother. "You would love to meet him. He's adorable and sweet. He has your kind heart, Primmy." I can tell there's a smile in her voice. If her sister is anything like my brother, I'd probably love to meet her. All I know about her sister is that she's married now.

"He reminds me of dad." Her voice sounds tearful and it makes my heart ache for her loss. She must be talking about Mitch. He's been like a father to Katniss, after all. "No, it's just that he's so protective and strong. He bares the weight of the world on his shoulders but you wouldn't hear a complaint from him. He's just hard to get to know, but I have no place to judge on that." Now I'm confused, that doesn't sound like Mitch now, but for all I know, she could be talking about anyone. "Alright, goodnight Prim. Love you sis and tell everyone the news and that I said hello." She sighs and I hear a phone clicking off. I decide it's safe to go into the kitchen now.

"Hey, you want some tea?" Katniss asks me as I enter the kitchen, she must have sensed my presence because she hasn't looked at me yet.

"Sounds good, thank you."

"I want to thank you for today," she says finally looking at me. "You have no idea how wonderful of a time I had," she shares openly with me and I can tell she's recalling the day's events with a grin playing on her lips.

"I'm glad you had fun. I know my brother and I enjoyed it."

"I have to be honest, Cato," she says sitting down at the kitchen table, offering me a cup of tea, "I was nervous as hell at how today would play out after last night." That makes two of us, and the thought makes me chuckle. She raises her brow at me.

"I felt the same," I share, "but today was nice."

"It was," she agrees. "I just hope I didn't intrude on your time with Ryan. I know you don't get much time to spend with him."

"Not at all," I tell her. "I was just excited to spend a day with him, from breakfast up to putting him to bed. That doesn't happen often. It's all thanks to you being here that it was made possible. So, thank you," I voice honestly. I mean it was Chief's whole intent of having her live here so I could see Ry more.

Katniss beams at me. "I don't know about you, but I have too much pride to tell Hay he was right about something. I don't need to witness his 'I told you, so' dance wearing that cocky smirk of his," she says laughing airily, probably picturing that as we speak.

I laugh with her. "Yeah, they don't have know." We share a real smile towards each other. This is not the same scene from the previous night. We're both easy towards one another, laughing and smiling. For an outsider, you would never know last night even happened. Then her smile falls and a frown mars her beautiful face while looking down at her mug, spinning it in her hands on the table. I'm about to ask what's wrong all of a sudden, but then she speaks, bringing her eyes up to meet mine.

"Listen, I don't know anything about your mother, but just from the few times that I've seen you with your brother…" she drifts off and shakes her head smiling to herself. I'm confused to where she was going with that and I eye her expectantly to continue, wary of her words. "I hope you know, you're not your father," she tells me, her eyes boring into mine and her tone makes it sound like it's nothing but the truth. If only she knew that every day I have to remind myself of that because it looms over my head like a dark cloud of my past and frightens me. Last night, I would have wanted to jump down her throat and yell at her that she knows nothing about me and can't state things she knows nothing about. But, right now, as she says those words from her heart and watching me carefully, probably expecting that type of reaction out of me, I want to hug her graciously. I feel that sting behind my eyes, the tell tale warning of oncoming tears that I haven't let fall in years and this strange woman can bring them about with the most heart felt comment I've ever heard.

I put my head down and close my eyes, praying that feeling leaves because I cannot appear weak and grunt out a thank you to her. She'll never know how much that opinion meant to me.

"My mother," Katniss starts to speak, a venom in her voice I've never heard before. She continues but her eyes are downcast on her mug. "When my father passed, Prim, my sister, was only six. My mother fell into a deep depression for a few years only to rejoin society by working hard at the hospital but practically stopped being a mom from the moment he died. I was ten and had to take care of Prim. I was responsible for putting food on the table and raising her. I devoted my whole life to her from that moment on. I tried to give her everything she deserved." She stops and I see a single tear marching down her cheek, obviously unwanted by the way she angrily wipes it away. She looks up at me, those grey eyes shining, and says, "Cato, I don't know what it's like to raise a sibling from infancy, but to do it at all, I understand. I respect you for what you've done. I can tell you give Ryan everything and work so hard to keep that up. You don't have to tell me about your past, as I know what it's like to have it haunt you, but you should know that I admire you for all you've done for him. I know it's not easy and I want to do anything I can to make it better for both of you. I hope to be a part of your trusted support system, as I had a similar one growing up."

Wow. I knew she was a strong person and but I'm blown away by what she did for her sister and flabbergasted by her loquaciousness and sincerity. I was at least eighteen when Ryan was born. Clove and Mike were eighteen when they had their son. I can't imagine being ten and being responsible for another being. Again, Clove's information of Katniss reacting '_motherly' _towards my brother sheds a whole new light on Katniss and my brother's interactions.

I surprise her by taking her small hand in mine and she looks down at her joined hands with an emotion I can't place. "With what you just shared with me and how preciously you treat my brother, you are a welcome addition to this family," I tell her earnestly. "And I want you to know that I whole-heartedly respect and admire you for all you did for your sister. She's a lucky girl to have had a sister like you growing up," I reverently breathe out. I just hope she can't tell how much I'm in awe of her. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise and her eyes go wide at my admittance. I don't think she ever believed to gain my appreciation.

Katniss clears her throat, probably clogged up like mine is from the pent up emotion we've shared. "I'm going to get more tea, would you like some?" she asks as she stands to head to the teapot on the stove, except I don't let go of her warm hand. She looks at me, wondering why I haven't unclasped our hands so she can leave. I stand up, rather warily, and pull her into a tight embrace against my chest. The hand that held her's cradles the back of her head as my other hand comes to rest on the small of her back. I feel her take a deep, shaky breath, her warm breath going through my thin t-shirt. Suddenly my shirt feels moistened where her face is burrowed into my front and my hold on her tightens. This feeling, whatever it is, I'm afraid to ever let it go, but I learned years ago to not get too attached and trusting of people. My mind is reeling, lost among all those complicated emotions I felt earlier today, but I ignore them for this one simple moment where a man can just hold a woman in his arms in a comforting embrace. It's been so long since I've felt the warmth of another person like this.

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**Please continue to review! **

**A/N With the holidays coming up, I don't know when the next update will be, but I will do my best to keep up with the speedy updates! :) Enjoy!**


	13. Chapter 13: Haymitch

**A/N:: I've updated previous chapters with revisions. I apologize if there have been a lot of mistakes so far. I don't have a beta and I tend to put most of my editing/revising energy into my school papers. Also, apologies for taking so long to update, hope you enjoy and a new chapter should be up within the next couple days! :)**

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Haymitch

I haven't heard from Sweetheart all weekend since I left her at Cato's on Saturday. I haven't called and bugged her in case she's been busy bonding with the boys, but dammit I wanted to. I thought she'd at least try and contact me. I can't help but to worry about her.

It's now almost two in the afternoon on Monday. I've been up for hours just twiddling my thumbs, sitting on my couch, staring at a muted television showing the local weather and, for once, I can't wait to get to work. Then I can catch up with Blondie before he's done his shift. Unfortunately, I have three more hours until I have to go in. I never thought I'd want to show up early before.

Brutus told me yesterday that Luke got a hold of him to tell him that he and his girlfriend were meeting Cato, Ryan and Katniss at the beach but I haven't heard how it went. I hate not knowing things. I sit. I wait. I sigh and lean back into the couch. I lean forward to rest my elbows on my knees. I rub my hands over my face. Wow, I need to get a grip. This is what I get for caring about someone. Seeing Katniss as a daughter to me is going to drive me insane with worry. _What the hell did I get myself into?_ Now would be the perfect time for a drink but I have to be on duty in a few hours so I don't know what to do with myself. I check the time again on the cable box and '2:07' blinks mockingly at me. I've never really been a patient man but this is crazy. Maybe Brutus has a solution, so I call him.

"What's up, Mitch?" he answers.

"What are you up to? Do you wanna go grab a bite to eat before our shift or something?" I hope he can't hear my desperate plea for a distraction.

Of course, he did. "Aww, Mitchy are you antsy to hear about your daughter's first weekend with a boy?" Brutus chuckles and I wish there was a way to strangle him through the phone and I heave a heavy sigh in irritation that I can't. "Oh, come on. I'm just messin' with ya. To be honest, I'm in the same boat and En is about to kick my impatient ass out of the house if I don't stop pacing. I'll come pick you up to get some grub and we'll head in early to annoy the kid." I can hear Enobaria in the background agreeing with the idea and we both laugh. It's good to know I'm not the only insane person over this.

"Good. Hurry up before I lose it! I haven't heard from Sweetheart or Blondie all weekend. I hate not knowing!" I growl in frustration.

Brute just laughs gruffly at my expense but I have a feeling he's just as put out as me for not knowing a _damn thing_. "Hold your horses. Be there in five." Good.

We hang up and I run to get my shit together for my shift to take with me for later and by the time I'm ready Brutus is already waiting downstairs in his cruiser.

"That grey hair, I see?" Brutus jokes as I climb into the car. "Spitfire's gonna be the death of you, man."

"Seriously, Brute. Fuck. Off," I annunciate through gritted teeth in a half growl.

"Hey, I'm clearly just trying to annoy you to get my mind off of what occurred this weekend. It's workin' for me if you want to give a go at me for your own distraction," he smirks.

"I just don't know what to expect. Putting those two together anything could occur, from falling in love to killing each other. What if movin' her in there on Saturday was just setting a ticking time bomb and one of these days we'll see the mushroom cloud from our own houses of them blowing up at one another? What if Ry get's too attached to Sweetheart and the kids get into a fight and Blondie never lets Sweetheart and Ry ever see each other again? What if…" I drift off into thought after I realize I'm just nonsensically rambling on.

"What if what we did was the best thing for both of them and they lived happily ever after? Mitch, we just have to let it play out and see what happens. I think we also have to pray we keep in the loop because I'm not ready to go grey because of these pain in the ass kids not telling us anything," he finishes, frowning at the thought of being made to look like an old man. That thought makes me a snicker. Damn these kids.

"Did Luke ever tell you how yesterday went?" I pray that he did. It'd be something to work off of.

"Nope," he grunts.

We pull up at the same café Sweetheart and I went to after her first day of work, both disgruntled at having to order a coffee, rather than our much sought after cold beers.

"So, you never really told me about the girl. I don't need to know all her personal stuff but just a little background would be nice," he asks me while drinking his coffee, overlooking the menu options. "All you've mentioned is that she's one hell of a young woman and she and Cato have a lot in common. Doesn't tell me much." I guess that's true. I just feel guilty telling someone else's story.

"Well, what's there to say? Her father died when she was ten and her mom kinda was depressed, leaving Sweetheart to fend for herself and her little sister. She raised her sister from the time the little girl was six until she moved here, practically," I share. I figure that's enough for me to inform him of to understand her better, but still not exposing her whole life to him. If she wants him to know she can tell him herself. Brutus is my best friend and my partner on the job, but I can't betray Katniss like that. It was hard enough to get her to trust me somewhat. I don't want to ruin that.

"What's there to say? You said a lot, and I seem to think you left a lot out, too, but I can understand that. I wouldn't ask you to betray the girl. I like her. Hell, I more than like her now. I'm completely overcome with respect towards the little spitfire," he says reverently about Sweetheart while looking into his coffee like it has all of our answers. Or, rather, wishes it had all of our answers. Then he looks up at me, with realization in his green eyes. "It's no wonder you said the two have a lot in common. And now I fully understand why you say it could be perfect or hell with them. With so much common ground to work with, they could really get close or their similar knack for building walls and chewing people's heads off for trying to get to know them could back fire immensely." I nod at him, knowing now he's envisioning all of the same horrible scenes I've watched play out in my head.

I watch his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline with his eyes starting to bulge. Suddenly, his brows are knit together tightly and his eyes are squinting while his hands come up to rub his temples and his lips turn down. Watching him would be comical, like watching a cartoon, with how extreme his expressions are. That is, if I didn't know that I've made the same expressions as the same thoughts flew through my own mind.

"What is it Brute?" I ask him, slightly afraid of what his mind has come up with if it slightly deviated from my thoughts. I don't want to know if there are worse horrors that could happen.

"Oh, no. Mitch, how the hell did we let this happen? You were right, the mushroom cloud. We're gonna see it. There's no possible way we wont. They'll explode at each other and it will be all of our faults because it was our idea. Shit, Mitch. What did we do?" He rambles on, the longer he goes the less he makes sense and I realize this is exactly what I sounded like in the car on the way here.

"That's it!" I exclaim, throwing money on the table to cover our bill and jumping out of the booth. "Let's go to the station and find Blondie and Luke to get the low down on their first weekend. I can't handle not knowing any longer and you and I are going to find ourselves in white padded rooms soon if we keep this up," I state.

I never wanted to settle down. I didn't want my own family. I was happy with just close friends. I never wanted kids and now I feel like I have two kids and a grand kid and I'm only in my forties with no wife or girlfriend to show for the following generations. _How did I let this happen?_ Damn kids being too likeable for my own good.

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Once we reach the station, we both must look like two chickens with their heads cut off while searching for Blondie and Luke.

"Luke!" I yell when I spot him coming out of an interrogation room. Blondie must be somewhere around here. He turns his head and smirks at us then goes to knock on the door to the observation room next to it. Cato comes out with a questioning look at Luke. When Luke tilts his head in our direction, Blondie's face falls, realizing it's time for his own interrogation.

We all meet in the lunchroom and pour ourselves some coffee before Brutus starts, "Come out with it already!" I nod my head that I agree with Brute's statement while Luke chuckles and Cato puts on the most innocent face that only his brother could pull off genuinely.

"Come out with what?" Cato asks.

My partner and I both give him a look. "Oh, hell. Don't even try to skirt around this. How was your first weekend with Sweetheart?" I question.

"It was…fine." Cato mumbles out.

"Nice try. We need more information than just 'fine'," Brutus says.

Cato's face falls, as he knows his attempt to get out of this has failed. "Alright. It was awkward as hell after y'all left Saturday night. We got at each other's throats a little then went to bed on a 'let's start fresh tomorrow' note," he starts.

"Well, I guess it could have been worse," I offer.

"Then, I had to wake her from a nightmare that woke me up." At this, he gives me a pointed look. Uh oh. I didn't warn him. I give him a sheepish look, feeling guilty I left that tidbit out. "Don't worry about it, Mitch. No big deal, but it was a rather embarrassing moment for the both of us, especially since I ran in there in just my underwear thinking she was being attacked." Right then, Cato is cut off by the three of us, showing our high maturity level, by practically falling over ourselves, laughing hysterically while picturing the scene.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm sure her view this time was much better than when she walked in on me in the bathroom in just a towel," I barely get out between my guffaws.

"Oh, I feel sorry for the poor girl!" Brutus breathes out while leaning on my shoulder to try and regain some composure.

"Are you children done yet?" Cato asks us like we're a bunch of silly school children. I suppose sometimes that idea isn't so far off.

"Yes. Continue, please," I respond while folding my hands in front of me like an obedient student just to mock him.

Cato sighs exasperatedly. "Anyways, I guess we bonded in the middle of the night and we started Sunday with a bit more respect and understanding of each other."

"You _what_? What kind of _bonding_ in the middle of the night did you exactly do, Cato?" I ask. I hope it's not what my troubled mind is thinking.

"For heaven's sake, Mitch! Get your mind out of the gutter! That's it. I'm done talkin' to you idiots. I thought you wanted to know what happened but you guys can't be mature for a few minutes to listen. How you went from a couple of old worry warts to a bunch of giggling school girls is beyond me," Cato chides us then heads to leave the lunchroom.

Thankfully, Brutus stops him. "Hey, kid. We're sorry. We've both been a stressed out mess this weekend waiting to hear and I guess we're both giddy to get some answers and relieving our stress in the most childish way possible at your expense. Please, tell us how Sunday went?" Brutus asks him and I nod my head looking apologetic that we put him out.

"Fine," Blondie huffs out at us, "but if you interrupt with any more immaturity, I'm out of here and back to work."

"Deal," both Brute and I respond in unison.

"Sunday was actually...perfect."

"_Perfect_?" My partner and I both ask in surprise.

This time Luke cuts in to reprimand us. "Y'all need twin hearing aids now? You heard him and I saw it, at least at the beach, anyway. They looked like the perfect, little, young family. Laughing and smiling and playing with Ryan," Luke shares with us, but as I listen I watch Blondie's expressions. At first, he has this strange look in his eye, akin to a new found happiness and reminiscence. Then, he's back to his usual self, glaring at Luke like he wants to strangle him for sharing such a thing on his behalf. Thing is, though, I saw that look in his eye. He just might fall for Sweetheart and daddy dearest doesn't know how to take that.

"Yes, we had a good time," Cato interjects, gruffly if I may add.

"How was after the beach, kid? Tell us that and we won't bug you for at least another few days about this," my partner promises. I can't promise that, especially if I need clarification after I surely talk to Katniss about this.

Cato clears his throat and looks puzzled for a moment before answering, his brows knitted together. "After the beach was good. We talked for a long time and got to know one another a bit better. I'm starting to trust her…" Cato drifts off and tugs at his collar with his pointer finger, looking very much uncomfortable under our intense gazes, taking in his every word. "…I might even open up to her about my past, especially since she's shared some of her story with me." We all look at him with our jaws on the floor, completely thrown with that last comment. As much as we love him, he can be the most closed off person I've ever met and I thought when I told Katniss to ask him about his own story that I was just throwing it out there for her to get no response from him.

Cato takes in our faces and I think he sees that we need a little bit more of an explanation than that because he continues with the simplest of statements; a statement that probably means more to him than anything. "She doesn't pity me." With that, Cato trudges out of the room to immerse himself into his work, I'm sure, to get his mind off of our conversation. I think he shared more than he intended, but I'm glad he did.

Now I just hope Sweetheart contacts me to fill me in on her side of the story before I have to corner her into an interrogation like we did Blondie.

Brutus and I head into the locker room, off of the lunchroom, to get ready for our shift. On the way in, we bump into Officer Embers.

"So, you're little friend from the BBQ moved in with Cato, did she?" Bryan asks, lifting his brow, looking a little too curious for my taste.

"Not your concern Officer Embers," Brutus tells him authoritatively.

"No, I suppose it isn't. I guess I didn't realize she was that kind of girl, or that Officer Adams was that much of a fool," he smirks. I go to grab him by the collar but the little piss ant dodges my advance and runs out of the locker room like the coward he is.

"Sometimes, I want to kill that jerk off!" I growl out, wanting to protect those kids from the bastard, even though I know both of them could break him like the twig he is.

"Just let it go, Mitch. He'll get his own someday."

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**Please review! I love hearing what my readers have to say and a MAJOR thank you to ALL of my loyal readers and reviewers! **


	14. Chapter 14: Katniss

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Katniss

Monday morning I wake up to my alarm blaring and it takes all of my effort not to hit the snooze or throw a pillow over my ears and fall back asleep when I see that it's only five in the morning. I forgot that I set it earlier than usual because I wasn't sure how hectic the mornings are here and I need some time to center myself before all hell breaks loose. I groan as I get to my feet, having the chill of the hardwood floor travel all the way up my spine. I have to remember to leave my slippers at my bedside as I shiver and hurriedly grab for my robe and slippers to rid myself of the cold.

As I exit my room I take care in being very quiet, which isn't hard for me from my years of hunting. But knowing how light of a sleeper Cato is, I don't want to wake him if he isn't up already. I tread into the dark hallway and note that Cato's door is still closed and make my way down the stairs into the kitchen to retrieve my much-needed cup of coffee.

I sit at the kitchen table silently, basking in the morning stillness under the dim light illuminated over the table. Once again, I realize I am only left with my thoughts and they trail their way back to Cato. The beach. The conversation. Him holding my hand. The embrace. I feel another set of chills run down my spine but it has nothing to do with the cold. I remember how his every touch was tender and kind in spite of his strength and rigidity but there was an understanding in that embrace that no words could compete with. Words that neither of us could or would say but I know we both felt. No one has held me so protectively like that since my father. I've never felt so safe and that scares the living hell out of me.

Now I realize I was sent here for protection, but that level of comfort I had last night was beyond anything anyone had planned for us. Haymitch wanted us to be civil, maybe friends, eventually, but whatever it was last night was beyond anything I can comprehend and, right now, I don't want to. I don't plan on letting that happen again. I can't.

With Cato, somehow my walls begin to crumble. Walls that I've spent fifteen years building and reinforcing start to fall when I'm around him. Especially, when he looks at me so warmly, so different from his usual cold, indifferent expression he wears outside of his family. When he grasped my hand out of comfort and then held me last night, I wanted to kick myself for letting him in so easily and breaking my barriers with the simplest of touch. That's twice now he's seen me cry. The first was when he woke me up from that nightmare and now last night. He held me so tight that for a while I didn't want him to let go.

I can't fall for him. I love my sister and my family, but romantically? I… just can't. I don't want to end up like my mother.

"'Mornin'," a gruff voice says from behind me, interrupting my thoughts, and I jump, almost spilling my coffee everywhere. Thankfully, it only sloshed out a little onto my hand. I turn expectantly towards the rough voice to find Cato standing there in black, low hanging sweat pants and a white tee. His blonde hair is disheveled from sleeping and his eyes are still unfocused. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I think you were a little zoned out there 'cause I know I'm not that stealthy," he says while handing me a napkin to clean up my spilled coffee.

"Thanks and good morning. Yeah, sorry about that, I guess I was lost in thought," I say blushing. Again, I'm grateful for the lack of light so that he can't see my rose stained cheeks.

"Not a problem." Cato responds while heading over to the coffeemaker to attain his own cup of coffee and joins me at the table. I watch as he unceremoniously drops his elbows on the table and rubs his hands through his hair stopping at the back of his neck to entwine his fingers together and leaving his head down. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was hung over.

"Not a big morning person either?" I smirk, recognizing the symptoms as Hay and I both act similarly in regard to early mornings.

The only response I get at first is just a brief shake of the head. Slowly he removes his hands from behind his neck and brings his face up to look at me while bringing his coffee to his lips. "No, I've never been a morning person. I don't understand people who are. It'd be different if I had a steady schedule and my body had time to get use to the idea, I guess, but that doesn't happen," he grumpily responds. This is exactly like my mornings with Hay and the thought makes me chuckle until Cato glares at me. "What's got you so chipper?" He asks while grimacing at me.

"You're just like Hay in the morning and very much like myself, as well," I say smiling. Relating him to Haymitch, I find, is a comfort and I realize I need to call him soon. I know he's worrying.

"I'm not sure how I should feel about being compared to Mitch," Cato grumbles back to me.

"Well, it's not a bad thing, just rather comical. Just remember, I don't have much room to talk. Mornings and I don't necessarily get along either," I share while lifting my coffee in his direction to prove my point. I'm relived at the easy banter this morning.

"Speakin' of Mitch," Cato starts, "you do realize that I'm going to be bombarded with questions from him and Brutus, right? Have you talked to him since Saturday?" Cato questions me.

I suddenly think I should have because Cato's going to have a hell of a time when Mitch gets a hold of him, especially since he hasn't heard from me. "Sorry, I haven't. I was going to give him a call after my shift today," I ashamedly tell him.

Cato groans and wipes his hands over his face in frustration. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be him when they question him. At least with Hay, it should just be the two of us and hopefully not at either one of our work places. "Alright," he sighs. I watch as his shoulders slump down and I, again, see him as a man that has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders and something in me wants to dispel him of that.

"Hey, we're in this together. Just remember that. No one has any expectations of how this will turn out so you don't have to worry about letting any one down. It's just us and Ryan and Hay and Brutus are just trying to look out for us," I remind him.

Cato's brows rise questionably at me. I don't think he realized that he isn't alone in this. I believe he thought that it was all on him to make this work and to be there to protect me. "Like a team?" He asks me disbelieving me.

"Exactly," I respond to him with a small, hopeful smile and his whole body relaxes at my response.

"Okay," he says back with his own half smile.

The rest of our morning flies by. We finish off our coffee in a comfortable silence then when he goes to wake Ryan and make him breakfast, I head out for my run. I come back in time to see Ryan off to school with Clove and Mikey and head up to shower and get ready for work.

* * *

"So how was last night?" Jo shakes me from zoning out on our lunch break with an elbow to my ribs. I look at her expectantly and she's wagging her eyebrows at me.

"What do you mean, Jo?" I ask her. I hope it's not what I think she means.

"What she means," Clove butts in as she sits across from us, "is what happened this weekend? You two looked chummy this morning. I freakin' saw Cato Adams smile at someone other than Ryan. What the hell did you do to him? You broke him!" She says to me with an accusing expression.

"I didn't break him!" I say quickly. I know they're best friends and I don't know how I could possibly break him. Clove barks out laughing and now I'm thoroughly confused.

"I think Clove meant it as a good thing, Brainless!" Jo says to me while patting my back sympathetically.

"Oh," I get out embarrassingly. "I don't know, we went to the beach with Jo and Luke and had a good time and got along last night and this morning. I didn't do anything to or _with _him, guys!" I tell them defensively.

"A shame, if you ask me," Jo jokes. I just shake my head at her after I smack her in the arm.

"Well, whatever happened between you two, it's workin', keep it up," Clove remarks.

"What's working?" I ask, perplexed.

She looks at me like I'm clueless and I'm beginning to think Johanna's got a point in calling me brainless. I really don't understand what Clove's trying to get at. "Whatever you and Cato have going on, it's working for the better. He seemed happy this morning and that _never_ happens. He hates mornings and he hates seeing Ry go. So far, you're good for him," she smiles but then looks at me the same way she did weeks ago when warning me not to hurt Ryan. "Just, PLEASE, please, please…don't screw it up!" She begs me in a demanding sort of way. I hesitantly nod at her because after working with her, I've learned not to piss Clove off and Jo pats my leg while chuckling at the threat.

I should have realized the downside of everyone here being close-knit and caring. Caring means asking questions, questions I don't want to answer and I have a feeling this is only the beginning. I begin to wonder who is getting the better end of the deal today. Would I rather be Cato and deal with Hay and Brutus and have him deal with Clove and Jo, or do I have it better with these two. Me being me, I wish there was a third option, one where I don't have to answer to anyone but myself, but then I remember being left to my thoughts this morning and I don't want that option either. I sigh to myself and quickly finish my lunch to get back to work, something I know how to do and how to handle.

At around three in the afternoon, Clove heads out to pick up the boys from school. When they get back, the boys run off to play and Clove comes to meet me at the knife handling station, where I'm showing a man how to discourage an attacker from trying to steal a weapon from his belt holster with a curved knife. It's made to go after an attacker's wrist.

"I talked to Cato. He should be home by six at the latest tonight and gave the 'okay' to you taking Ryan home with you. You cool with that?" She asks, and although anyone would think it was a stupid question, I can feel the weight of responsibility that Cato is entrusting me with. I smile to myself.

"Not a problem," I answer her and she nods and smirks, knowing that I've earned some trust from Cato.

* * *

"Ry, why don't you get started on your homework while I start dinner. I also have to call Uncle Haymitch, if you don't mind," I say to him once we're home. I drop my bag for work near the stairs in the hallway and take Ryan's backpack and place it on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Okay, but I might need some help with my math homework. Cato usually helps me," he answers me in a small voice. I don't want him embarrassed to tell me things.

"Not a problem. I'll make my call fast, you just do what you can and I'll help you once I'm off the phone and if we both struggle with it, Cato can help us," I tell him with a smile, hoping to ease his insecurity.

Ryan giggles at the thought of me needing help with math too and sets to work on his homework as I set to work getting things together to start dinner for the three of us. I decide chicken, potatoes and carrots sound good. While I dice the potatoes to put in a frying pan with some oil and herbs, I call Hay.

"That you, Sweetheart?" he answers.

"'Course it is, Hay," I respond.

"It's about damn time I heard from ya, kid." I have a feeling he's not happy with me. "You have some explaining to do," he warns me.

"I know, I know. It was a busy weekend. I was hoping we could do dinner tomorrow? Cato's working tomorrow night and Ry is going to be at Clove's until he's done his shift." I hope this idea pacifies him and he doesn't start rambling off questions where Ryan is in hearing distance and Cato could walk in the door at any minute.

"Dinner sounds wonderful. We'll figure out when and where tomorrow. You can call me when you're out of work." I readily agree and find that I'm excited to spend some time with him again. I've missed our easy routine while I've been living here, where I feel like I have to walk on eggshells in someone else's home. "Just answer me this, Sweetheart, to ease my mind: You doin' alright there?"

I can hear the worry in his voice and now I really feel awful for not contacting him sooner. "I'm starting to feel more at home, here. This weekend was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but it was what I expected and it turned out to be better than I had hoped," I share with him honestly. I don't want him to worry about me but it's a comfort to me that he does.

I hear him sigh, easing out the breath he was surely holding to hear my answer. I smile at the thought. "Glad to hear it's workin' out so far for y'all, Sweetheart. I gotta get back to work, here, but I'm really glad you called. I look forward to dinner tomorrow night. Talk to you soon, kid!" He finishes the call after I tell him good-bye and I get back to cooking dinner, more relaxed now that I've talked to him.

"How are you doing so far, Ry?" I ask him, while I start cooking the potatoes and add carrots to the pan. They'll take longer to cook than the chicken.

"So far so good. Haven't started on my math homework yet," he answers me with a small grin. I nod and grin back. He's just too cute, I think.

We're soon interrupted by the sound of the front door swinging open. "Smells good in here!" I hear Cato call to us from the foyer.

"Hi, Cato!" Ryan answers his call and runs to greet him. They both walk back into the kitchen with Ry sitting on Cato's shoulders and I watch as they interact. Cato definitely is an amazing big brother. Even after a long day at work he still finds the energy to play and actively chat with his little brother. _'Will I always find additional reasons to admire him more and more each day?'_ I wonder.

"Whatcha cookin'?" Cato asks, heading to the fridge to get some lemonade.

"Chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Is that alright?" I ask, now worried that they might not like it.

"Too late now," he tells me with a serious face. I feel myself begin to panic and my cheeks heat up. "I'm kidding! Katniss, that sounds great! We're not picky eaters, don't stress about it." Thank God. Unfortunately, I feel my cheeks getting even redder and I quickly turn back to the stove, hoping he didn't notice. I hear the fridge close and his feet head in my direction but I stay focused on the food in front of me. I feel him come even closer to me, his body heat seeping into my own and my whole body tenses up nervously. Suddenly, his breath tickles my ear as he whispers low enough so his brother doesn't hear from the table, "don't hide the blush, it's beautiful." I could hear the smile in his voice and my knees feel weak. He moves away quickly to sit himself next to his brother to help him out with his homework, like he never said a thing to me. It only takes a second until my whole body sags from the tension and embarrassment and I flush from head to toe from his compliment.

_Damn him._ I remember telling myself this morning that I couldn't fall for him, and here he goes, saying things like _that_ to me. It makes me almost hopeful for the old Cato: The one who jumped at the chance to chew me out my first night, and the one who was as easily guarded as me. Where did that Cato go? Did I really_ break _him, like Clove said?

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**Please Review! Another sincere thank you to my faithful readers & reviewers!**


	15. Chapter 15: Cato

**Just a quick warning, I had a rough time with this chapter and it's a little longer than the other chapters so far. I hope you enjoy it!**

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Cato

"Don't hide the blush, it's beautiful," I whispered in her ear while smiling. I was so close to her that I could smell her spicy, earthy scent and I could feel her warmth. I was itching to feel her soft skin again but I quickly squashed that by holding my lemonade a little tighter and rushing to sit next to Ryan. Ryan is a great distraction and a wonderful deterrent from the direction my thought process was heading.

_I can't believe I said that_, I think to myself, but it was the truth. Her wide, panicked, stormy eyes and her flushed skin reminded me again of her graceful innocence that fascinates me. The way she can be so self-assured and strong and still hold onto that childish goodness is a miracle after everything she has been through.

I erase those thoughts so that I can successfully show Ry how to figure out his nine times tables and then get through dinner without it being awkward. We're working on nine times three and Ryan seems to be counting out nine three times in his head. That's one way to figure it out and hopefully he can eventually memorize the answers. I know that's how I had to do it.

"Nine times three equals… twenty-six?" Ryan answers in a question. I shake my head at him and he frowns.

"Try again, bud. Don't worry about it, you'll get it right," I say to encourage him.

"Wait, are you guys doing your nine times tables?" Katniss interrupts while putting dinner on the table.

"Yeah and its hard," my brother grumbles beside me. I hate seeing him discouraged.

"I actually can help you out with this. I was never a math wiz, but my father taught me a trick for the nines when I was in school that I taught Prim. It works up to ten, I can show you once I set the table and we start eating," she offers. I never learned of a trick. I was just told to memorize them all, now I'm intrigued and want to learn.

"Yes, please Kat!" Ry jumps on the offer.

I help Katniss set the table and serve Ryan his plate after I cut up his chicken for him. I know he's old enough to do it himself now, but it's just a habit.

"Can you show me, now?" My brother asks her. I've never seen him so interested in math before.

"Sure. What you do is put both hands up, showing me your palms. Now, put your pinky down on your left hand. Say that's nine times one. How many fingers are you holding up?" Katniss asks my brother. She can't see, but I'm doing this under the table, following along.

"Nine," Ry says simply.

"You're right!" Katniss cheers him on. "Now, put the next finger down and bring your pinky up. What's left of the finger down would be the tens column and right of the finger is the ones column. Now what would nine times two be?" she asks. I do as she told Ry to do and damn, eighteen. I continue doing this up to ten, now that she shared the secret and it works every damn time. Why didn't they show us this in school? I watch Ryan as he continues to go up to nine times ten and the grin on his face is glorious. I love watching a kid finally get something and you see it mentally click for them, like a light bulb going on.

"That's so cool! Thank you so much, Kat!" He jumps out of his seat and runs around the table to Katniss to give her a big hug that she easily returns, matching his grin.

The rest of dinner is spent with us quizzing Ryan on his times tables and him using his fingers to figure out the answer. Eventually he'll have them memorized but this definitely works until then. I'm proud of him and I'm thankful for what Katniss taught him to help him along.

"That was really delicious, Katniss. Thank you for cooking, you didn't have to," I tell her once we're finished eating. It was a wonderful surprise to come home to find I didn't have to cook, but I don't want her to think I expect it.

"You're welcome. I was home first, so I thought I'd do it," she responds, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Well, since you cooked, I'll do the dishes," I offer. "Ryan, why don't you head up and take your bath," I tell my little brother.

"Okay, Cato! Thanks for dinner, Kat!" He runs off up the stairs and shortly after, I hear the water filling in the tub.

"You don't have to do the dishes, you're still in uniform. Go get changed and I'll handle this. It's not much of a mess, anyways," Katniss says kindly to me. I look down at myself and realize it couldn't hurt to get comfortable. I'm so use to not being able to get out of uniform until Ryan's asleep on most nights. This is a nice change.

"How about we do them together. We'll get done quickly and I'll still be out of uniform earlier than I usually am," I strike a deal to her.

She purses her lips at me and I'm left wondering what's going through her mind. Sometimes when she looks at me, her thoughts are a complete enigma to me. "Fine," she huffs at me and I have to suppress a chuckle at her stubbornness.

We worked in a semi-comfortable silence and in about ten minutes, the kitchen was all clean. It is nice to have extra help. A part of me felt like there was an awkward tension between us and I can't begin to wonder why. I thought dinner went well.

"Now, I'll go get changed," I inform her with a smile since she allowed me to help clean up.

"Whatever," she rolls her eyes at me.

I laugh and run up the stairs. I, first, knock on the hallway bathroom door to check on Ryan and when he responds that he's all good I continue on to my own bathroom to shower and get changed. Once I'm done, I head back down stairs to find no Katniss. I notice on the kitchen island is a pile of mail that she must have brought in while I was upstairs and decide to sort through it until she or Ryan show up. Bill… bill… bill… ads… bill… letter?

Opening the letter, I grimace at the first line: 'You are cordially invited to this years annual Policemen's Ball.' I notice the date isn't for another few weeks and I grimace at what this means. Clove will be finding me yet another awful date that I have to bite my tongue all night to get through until I can drop her off again and head home to Ryan. I don't know why she never allows me to go stag or just not go at all so I can watch the boys while her and Mike go. They usually go because her father's the chief and we tend to leave the boys with Mike's mother. I inwardly groan and file the invitation away for the time being, hoping the topic doesn't pop up any time soon. I hate being forced on those dates. I _really_ hate those dates.

"Cato, can I have a little ice cream before bed?" I hear my brother ask as he walks into the kitchen now sporting his pajamas.

"Sure, bud! I'll join ya," I tell him while getting out two spoons and bowls while he fetches the tub of ice cream from the freezer for me. Once I finish spooning out the ice cream, I look up to hand Ryan his bowl and find Katniss standing at the kitchen's entrance in her pajamas, as well, and what I see almost makes me drop Ry's bowl. I clear my throat and successfully hand over his ice cream and offer some to Katniss, attempting to keep my eyes on hers, rather than the wandering to the rest of her. Nothing about her green flannel bottoms or black t-shirt is seductive in any way but I'm use to seeing her clad in her robe as well. I realize that I'll probably find her beautiful no matter what she wears, and that annoys me. I don't like being caught off guard so easily.

"No, thanks," she quickly turns down the treat. I shrug my shoulders to try for a cool façade and go to join my brother in the living room to get comfortable before I have to tuck him in. Katniss follows us in and sits on one end of the old, blue couch while I sit on the other leaving Ryan to snuggle up between us. I turn on the television and hand the remote off to my brother to find something he rather see before bed and I relax while I eat.

Once in a while I look at Katniss from the corner of my eye and notice how she curls her legs up to herself and wraps her arms around her knees. It seems like a protective habit of hers. I remember she did the same thing when I turned the light on after her nightmare. I wonder if that's how she use to try and hold herself together in the past when it was really hard for her. I can't begin to imagine some of the struggles she had to face after her father's death and practically being abandoned by her mother at such a young age. I know I had it really hard, but food was never an issue for me like it was for her and her sister.

My protective instincts take over and I find myself wanting to pull her into my arms again, to find that place we had last night, but I can tell by looking at her that she's beyond an arm's reach, both mentally and physically. The barricades that seemed to have been intruded on before have been put back in place and I'm left on the outside again, wanting to regain access in. I don't know how she does that so easily. I'm starting to think I was too quick to assume I could let her in, myself, and I feel my mood quickly go downhill.

I look at the clock and notice it's 8:30 at night. It feels like time has flown by since I got home from work. "Alright, Ry. It's getting late, time for bed," I tell him, glad for a reason to get some space from the cold indifference Katniss is sporting towards me ever since she came back down stairs after dinner.

"But Cato, I'm not…" My brother yawns and looks at me sheepishly, "tired." He grins and I shake my head at him.

"So convincing. Come on, get upstairs and brush your teeth and I'll be waiting to tuck you in."

Ryan slowly gets to his feet and stretches before turning to Katniss. My one thought is that if she acts cold towards Ry suddenly too, I'll tear her a new one. I'm relieved when she quickly takes him into her arms and says goodnight after kissing his cheek and running her hand adoringly through his soft, blonde locks.

"Night, Kat," he tells her tiredly before trudging up the stairs and I follow closely behind. I wait for him to finish in the bathroom and I tuck him in, kissing him on the forehead and turning on his night light. "Love you, Cato. Night!" He says to me when I reach his bedroom door.

"Night, Ry. Love you too." I close his door and hesitantly, I head back down the stairs, even though a large part of me preferred to just go to bed early and avoid her. We live together and if she has a problem, then we need to work it out. We're adults and this is how adults handle issues.

I find her curled up on the couch in the same place we left her except she had turned the television off and is just staring into space. "You alright?" I ask her, attempting to be kind instead of tearing her head off like I want to do. I can't stand animosity unless I understand where it's coming from. I thought we were getting along.

The only response I get is just a curt nod of the head. It makes me want to explode. "Seriously? 'Cause you look absolutely joyful right now," I sarcastically drawl out. She ignores my sarcastic remark and continues to stare off into space and, somehow, it pisses me off more. "What is your problem, Katniss? You were fine at dinner and while we did the dishes then you disappeared and when you came back downstairs, you've acted nothing but cold and distant, like I didn't even exist. Did a Katniss impersonator take your place upstairs, 'cause if so, go switch back because this Katniss is being a bitch!" The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them and in the back of my mind I'm wondering how that saying goes: You can only poke a sleeping bear for so long until…something happens.

_SMACK! _The left side of my face is pulsating and in pain as I bring my hand up to rub it. My jaw is still slack at the thought of the words I said to her and yet I still find myself surprised at her reaction, although I shouldn't be.

"What gives you the right to call me a bitch?" She snarls at me, her chest heaving from jumping out of her seat so fast to slap me. "While you're at it, explain to me what gave to you the right whisper in my ear that I'm beautiful?" The end of her sentence drifts off to barely being audible at all and I notice that her hands are both in small fists.

"I shouldn't have called you a bitch but one minute we're fine and getting along, the next you ignore me. I just don't get it! I'm sorry if I went too far to call you beautiful but you are! Is that what you're so mad at? Because I complimented you?" I don't understand this woman or maybe all women. I'm way out of practice.

"I don't like empty compliments. I thought you were different! I don't know what you wanted for telling me that but you wont get it," she warns me and I'm thrown off that she would think I'm like that.

"It wasn't an empty compliment, Katniss. It was the honest-to-God truth! You _are_ beautiful. I wasn't hitting on you and I wasn't trying to gain anything from that comment. I just told you so you would stop hiding yourself away, which obviously backlashed on me," I explain to her, baffled at her reaction to being called beautiful.

She shakes her head at me, and then looks away from me, as if that's her notice that this conversation is over. I'm about to try and say something to her to get her to open up again but she cuts off my thoughts. "I'm really just mad at myself," she says in a small, thick voice.

_'Please, don't cry again,'_ is my only thought, suddenly. It's not that I can't stand a woman crying, but it physically pains me to see her hurt. "Why are you upset with yourself?" I ask her, truly curious because this girl is confusing. She's so tough at times but around me she gets upset so easily. I don't know if it's me that makes her this way or if she's able to be weak around me or…

"Because," she sighs and I hope that's not all the answer I'll receive. "Because you do this," she says, spreading her arms wide, indicating this scene. "You say nice things and you care and you protect without a second thought. People don't do that, Cato, especially for people like me. I've spent so many years protecting myself and Prim, building walls to keep people out so they can't hurt me anymore, and I'm weak around you!" She angrily points her thin finger accusingly at me. "In a short amount of time, I've found that you can, somehow, hold me together and so does Ryan and, one day, I wont be welcome in this family anymore and I'll be left alone again. Maybe I'll still have Haymitch, but he doesn't need me. I feel like I can be needed here," she rambles on.

I want to tell her that she is needed here. Ryan needs someone like her in his life because, as much as I play dad, I still can't be everything to him.

Her shoulders fall and she shakes her head at herself leaving her head to fall forward. Speaking towards her feet, she says, "I hate feeling weak. And here I am, three nights in a row, having a heart to heart with you and I'm left feeling naked and exposed again," she lifts her face to me, eyes shining, "and you're still Mr. Ambiguous and Mr. Muscles, here to protect everyone but wont let anyone in and it makes me feel like a fool. You don't trust me but I've trusted you enough and it sets me up to get hurt. I'm a damn fool!" She rants, yelling at me, yet putting herself down. I really can't tell who she's truly mad at. She's probably mad at both herself and me.

I completely understand her now. I thought the same thing when she closed me off tonight, suddenly, thinking: Why should I begin to trust her if she shuts me out? I didn't realize that I was already doing that to her. I sigh at what I'm about to do. I take Katniss' balled up fits, prying her fingertips away from her palms where there are small crescent moon cuts from her nails biting into her skin. I take her hands in mine and take her back to the couch and sit down facing her. "You want to know about my past." It's not a question. I know she does and I know she doesn't want to push me to tell her because it's not her business but I recall our first night when she said that it's hard to trust someone you don't know much about.

"Yes, but you don't have to tell me, that's not what this is about," she mumbles to me, not looking me in the eye.

"Yes, in a way it is, Katniss. You want to trust me and you want me to trust you. You let me in and I haven't shared with you. You feel like things are one sided and you feel exposed. How 'bout it's time I ante up." I can already feel my veins flowing with adrenaline for a fight that won't come and my muscles coiling to protect myself, even though there's nothing here that will hurt me. I guess the stress of rehashing my past is getting to me. I didn't realize I was still holding her small hands in mine until I felt a bit of pressure on my right hand. She's squeezing it reassuringly. She probably could feel my pulse quicken and wanted to calm me, because now her warm eyes are looking into mine. Calmness runs through me, knowing I have her support. I just hope I still have it when I'm done.

"From as far back as I can remember my father beat on my mom. She never took me and ran from him. When I was about Ryan's age, I became his secondary target." I take a deep breath and notice her eyes are shining again, still not in pity. "By that age, I realized that my father was a drunk. I always could tell there was pungent smell radiating from his breath, but I didn't know what it was until I got older. He would smack around my mom and when he got bored of her cries, he'd move onto me. As the years went by, he decided to get more creative in what he would hit me with. Sometimes he would strike me with his belt, and, other times, a broken bottle. When I got into my teens, I took the brunt of it to protect my mom. I'd work out in my spare time at the school gym with Mike, who was already dating Clove. He would see my bruises and cuts once the shirt came off if I got too hot. They knew what was going on because they eventually pressed me for information. I knew Clove's father was the chief but I begged her for hours on many occasions to keep it to herself." I pause to regain some composure and recall my many fights with my, now, best friend.

"When I was seventeen, my mother told my father, one night, that she was pregnant. He didn't believe her and made her take a pregnancy test in front of him. It was positive. He attempted to beat her so bad that night but I cut in, knowing whatever he did to her could hurt the baby. I remember him screaming that she was a whore and it wasn't his kid. He ran out of the house to a bar. He got so drunk and way passed midnight we had cops at our door. One of them was Brutus. He told us that my father had gotten into a bar fight and killed a man and was going to jail." I watch as a tear slips out of her right eye and I rush to wipe it away.

"Please, don't cry for me. I'm begging you," I tell her in a stressed voice, praying this isn't on the line of her pitying me.

She shakes her head at me while squeezing her eyes shut to contain the rest of her tears. I wait patiently until I can see her grey orbs looking back at me. They're what kept me going this whole time with the story, and without them, I can't carry on. "I'm not pitying you, Cato. I'm mourning the innocence you had to lose. You don't need pity. You're strong and compassionate because of what you went through and you should be proud of yourself every day for what you faced and overcame," Katniss tells me in a strong voice, not allowing me to think any different and her eyes are shining, but in a different way. Her eyes are almost glowing with a fire; a fire I'm assuming indicates when she will not falter and the warm look in her eye is what gives me the strength to continue.

"Well," I start, feeling awkward now that I took a pause from the story. I feel another squeeze of my hand and she nods at me, encouraging me. "After my father went to jail, it was just my mom and I. She was a nurse and worked for as long as she could before she had to get off of her feet for the baby and I also got a job to support us. I worked almost forty hours a week while going to school, too. My mother ended up having Ryan prematurely. He had to stay in NICU for two months until he was deemed healthy enough to be taken home. The day he was to be released from the hospital, my mother was nowhere to be found. I tried to take him home, myself, but the hospital wouldn't let me. So, instead, I spent, as much time as I had while he had to stay in NICU, in the baby ward just to be there for him. He didn't know who I was, but I wasn't going to leave my baby brother in the hospital with no family to be there for him. With the help of Clove and her father and Brutus, I was able to petition the courts for full custody when it was apparent my mother wasn't going to return. On Ryan's three month birthday, I was able to bring him home," I say with a reminiscent smile. I remember holding his tiny form so close and promising I would protect him from the rest of the world for as long as I live; promising that he would never know the horrors I did growing up. Katniss stays quiet while I remember my first days at home with him, waiting for me to come back to the present.

"When Ryan was two, I received a letter from the penitentiary that was holding my father. There was a certificate of death enclosed with it. Turns out, not only was his alcoholism hurting others, but it was killing him slowly, too. And to this day, I haven't heard from or seen my mother since she disappeared," I finish. Now I understand Katniss' reference to feeling exposed and naked. I hate it. I have to look away from her eyes for a moment to close mine and process everything I told her. I'm proud of myself for not breaking down, but my throat still feels obstructed with the bubbling emotion I feel that has been pent up for so long. I still can't believe I told this girl everything. Luke, my partner, doesn't even know the whole story.

"I admire you're strength. I'm in complete awe of you, Cato," a small voice interjects, pulling me away from my reveries. I look at her in surprise and check her eyes for any signs of it being a lie. Nothing but honesty radiates from her being and the next thing I know, she pulls my hands that were holding hers this whole time and our bodies collide. She holds me to her like I had last night and whispers in my ear a soft, 'thank you.' I just nod, not allowing myself to speak out of respect for the quiet moment and because I don't know if I could find the words to begin with. I allow one tear to fall but fight against any others threatening to break out against my will. She must have felt it hit her shoulder because she squeezes me tighter.

Her warmth seeps into me and I relish in it, allowing her purity to wash away my disgusted past.

Eventually, I find my voice and tell her, still holding her to me, "No matter what, after this, you will never find yourself alone. I promise," I earnestly tell her. I can't imagine ever losing a person I bared my soul to like this. Not unless death takes her or I away, and even then, I would fight to keep her. I don't know what will become between us, but she is a friend. She is family. The day she moved in, I never would have guessed I could attain such an intimate connection with her in such a short amount of time. Three days, and I just promised to never leave her? Am I crazy?

Katniss pulls away from me and we both take a cleansing breath, hoping to be able to move on from this. I take one look at her and I think that I'm not crazy. It's just her. Something about this incredible young woman pulls people in to caring. She did it to Mitch and even Clove respects her. Luke and Brutus adore her and even Chief is looking out for her.

Her hand comes up to my face to cup my cheek and I wince, realizing it's the side she slapped. I hope I don't have a mark tomorrow that I have to explain to Mitch. If he hears I called her a bitch, I'll have a matching shiner. "I'm sorry I slapped you," she apologizes as her fingers ghost along my cheek and jaw.

I half-heartedly chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I think I deserved it," I tell her.

Katniss takes her hand away and places it in her lap and sighs. "I deserved the bitch comment. I went a little crazy there, I'm sorry. I'm seriously awful at expressing myself and I kinda exploded," she smirks. I'm grateful for her light attitude at this moment. It allows me to release a lot of the tension from my body, knowing I'm not on the stand for judgment anymore.

"Yeah, you kinda did," I agree, earning a light slap on my arm and we both laugh lightly.

"Shut up!" she giggles out and I revel in her melodic tone. "It's getting late, we, or at least I, should get to bed. I've got work early," she tells me and I agree. Even though I can sleep in a little before I have to get Ryan up, I feel drained from exposing everything tonight. "Good night, Cato," she says with a small smile gracing her face.

"Good night, Katniss." I watch her move to go up to bed but I realize she has to know one more thing before she goes. "Katniss, wait!" I call to her just as she's disappearing around the doorway from the kitchen to the hallway. She turns around and takes a few steps forward and I get up to meet her in the kitchen.

"What is it, Cato?" she asks me worriedly, her brows furrowed together and crinkling her forehead. It makes me want to smooth away her worries.

"It's just… I wanted you to know," I stutter out nervously. I take a deep breath and look her in the eye so she knows that I'm serious, "you are needed here. Dinner was evidence enough with how you could help Ryan and everything. We do need you here." As I was talking, I had reached for her hand, once again, finding it a comfort to have her so close. I take a chance and lean forward to lightly brush my lips over her forehead preciously, remembering how I wanted to wipe her worries away and step back quickly, waiting for another slap. Instead, I find the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. She squeezes my hand and then she turns to go to bed without a word.

I slump into the closest kitchen chair, heaving a big sigh of relief. She doesn't hate me. She doesn't pity me and, instead, she supports me and I just spilled my whole life story to a woman I just met.

I'll just have to wait and see where this leads us. I get up and set up the coffee maker for the morning and head up the stairs. After ridding myself of my clothes, I climb into bed. The last thought running through my head, before I fall asleep, is the feel of her skin against my lips.

* * *

**I know it was a little rough... Please review! I hope to make the next chapter better. :)**


	16. Chapter 16: Haymitch

**A HUGE thank you to those that have supported this story!**

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Haymitch

"Mornin' Mitchy," Brutus greets me when I get to the station. I notice his head is bowed down over a copious amount of paper work and I see a matching pile on my desk. I grunt in return to his greeting and plop down on my chair to wait for this morning's briefing.

"What _is_ all this?" I ask, gesturing to all the papers.

"Early this mornin', they got a call in from a young woman. Seems like she was another target for the two robbing bastards." I raise my eyebrows at him, hopeful. "Don't get your hopes up, man. We didn't catch them, but she's been in with the sketch team. Turns out, she got a good look at one of the guys before they fled." He smirks that we have something to go off of now and I let myself get a little hopeful anyway.

"Let's go grab some coffee and head in for the briefing. The sooner everyone knows what's going on, the sooner we can, maybe, get these guys," I tell him. I know I haven't slept well since this whole thing started and, although she won't admit it, I know it's always in the back of Sweetheart's mind, too.

"Alright, let's go," Brutus agrees.

* * *

"Good morning, everyone!" Chief begins the briefing from the front podium. "As many of you have noticed, there are files on your desks of the profiles on the robbing duo. Early this morning, a woman called in and, as far as our detectives can tell, she's their latest victim. She got a good look at one of the men and has been working with our sketch artists. It was dark, so it won't be very precise but this is what we have." Chief turns around the case board and, on it, is a sketch of a man, around his mid-twenties. He has dark hair and light eyes. His eyes could be blue, green, or hazel, as in the darkness the woman could probably only tell that there was a difference from his pupils and irises enough to rule out brown eyes. It's something to work with. It's written that he is also tall and thin and has a clean face, no facial hair. "Now, we ran the sketch through the facial recognition software and received no matches, but keep your eyes open today when you patrol. Look over the information we gave you and cooperate with the detectives. Good luck everyone. Let's get out there and keep this community safe!" Chief finishes his spiel the usual way and dismisses us back to work.

I stay with Brutus to take a closer look at the sketch to burn his features into my memory, knowing my partner is doing the same. We want to get these guys, and our passion to find them is a little beyond most of our other officers. This is personal.

I see Chief is about to leave the meeting room, but I stop him. "Chief, got a moment?" He nods his head at me and meets us at the board.

"What is it, Officer Abernathy?" He questions me, and I search the room to make sure its clear other than the three of us.

"Chief, is there anything else we can work with that you haven't maybe shared with every one else? Something that maybe isn't definite enough or still being combed through? We _need_ to find them," I stress to him.

Chief sighs and shakes his head somberly. "No, we don't. These guys are, unfortunately for us, good. We haven't found a piece of DNA or fingerprints on any of the scenes. I was happy enough to get a possible sketch of one of them. I know this case is personal to a few of us and I won't hide any information from y'all. You have my word," he explains and promises to us. I take a good look at him and realize he doesn't look as healthy as he usually does. This case must be stressing him out as much as it is the rest of us.

"Thanks, Chief," Brutus tells him. I echo my partners thanks and Chief moves out of the room leaving us alone with a face that no one can name, staring back at us mockingly. "Let's go, Mitch. We have to review those files before we hit the streets. I want these bastards," he growls out the last part.

"You and me, both, Brute," I snarl, giving the sketch one last glare before following my partner out.

* * *

All day, we roamed around town and not a damn piece of luck came our way. When we enter back into the station it's buzzing as the new shift begins their day. It's about three in the afternoon and I realize Cato must have gotten in by now.

"You guys hear that Bryan and his partner brought a guy in that matched the description of the sketch?" I turn around at Luke's voice and see him and Cato heading our direction.

"Could it be him?" I ask Luke in anticipation. As they come closer to us, I find myself eying Cato. I notice he has a little red mark across his cheekbone. "You get in a fight today, Blondie?" I joke, raising my brow at him.

Luke smirks and shakes his head but answers my original question. "We don't know yet. Some of the guys were working on checking the man's alibies when we came in. Haven't heard the latest because we just got out of our briefing. I hope so, though. For the girls' sakes and mine. I really like Jo, but I wasn't ready to practically live with the girl, yet," he explains to us. Brutus and I watch as Cato eyes him dangerously about the 'living together' remark and we both struggle to hold in our snickering as Luke ducks his head, remorsefully.

"So what happened to you, kid?" Brutus presses, lightly slapping the side of Blondie's face and he winces. I don't know if he's flinching from the question or recoiling from Brutus touching his face.

"Don't worry about it," he remarks, glaring at his partner and Luke chuckles and shakes his head at him.

"Sorry, Cato, but I just have to explain it. I wanna see Mitch's face," Luke says and I turn on Cato expectantly, now curious why this would include me. Suddenly, my eyebrows shoot up at him as I think that Sweetheart did this to him.

"I thought you two were getting along? What did you do?" I roar at him, causing the people near us to turn their heads our direction. I ignore them and glare at Cato, waiting for an answer while my partner and his are beside themselves.

"Icalledherabitch," Blondie mumbles out quickly and quietly, leaving me to not understand a damn word he said.

"Huh?"

"Oh, he called her a bitch," Luke clarifies. I look to Luke then back to Cato, my glare turning feral.

"Why?" I simply say, hoping there was a good reason, but still glad she got a shot in at him for it.

"She exploded at me and the word flew out before I could stop it. I earned the slap," he bows his head down, shamefully and I chuckle. He raises his eyes to me and gives me a curious glance. "Why are you laughing? I thought you'd give me a matching shiner. I was hoping there wouldn't be a mark!" He exclaims to me incredulously.

I begin to guffaw at the thought of him being nervous because of me and explain, "I know you're new at this girl thing, but name calling isn't a good way to make good with them, especially Sweetheart. She doesn't have a good temper," I warn him and wink. "She can handle herself well enough, you don't have to worry about a double backlashing if she already got you good."

"Hope you learned your lesson, kid," Brutus remarks, still laughing at Cato's idiotic mistake.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbles back. Poor kid, I've never seen that side of Katniss before and I pray I never do. The closest I've ever seen her wanting to beat on someone was when I told her about her apartment being broken into and she controlled herself rather well.

"Well, let's get back to work, boys. I have a dinner date I wanna get to," I inform them, taking the spotlight off of Cato.

"Well, well, well! Anyone we know?" Luke asks me, putting his elbow on my shoulder like he's waiting to hear the latest gossip.

I smirk. "Yep, Sweetheart." I see an interesting look in Blondie's eyes but decide to let him off the hook, for now.

Two hours pass alarmingly slow for such a busy station today. Officers have brought in countless men who could fit the description but every one of them has checked out. Brutus and I clock out and I head to pick Sweetheart up at her work, deciding to surprise her there and take her out to eat since I haven't gone food shopping.

By the time I get to SSDA, there's only a few cars left in the parking lot and I look to see if Sweetheart is still here. I never talked to her today and thought I'd just show up but with it being past the end of her shift, I didn't know if I'd catch her here. Surprisingly, her truck is still here and I wonder what she could still be doing.

"Officer Abernathy?" I hear as I enter the building. I turn to locate the source of the voice and see a familiar woman.

"Atala, how are ya?" I greet her with a smile.

"Doing well. Are you looking for Katniss?" She asks me and I'm surprised she knew that.

"Yes, ma'am. Do you know where I can find her? I don't see her anywhere."

She smiles at me like she knows something I don't, and it bothers me. "She's in the archery room. I wouldn't sneak up on her, if I were you," she informs me.

Archery? I remember her saying something about her hunting after he father died with her friend, but I never pictured her with a bow and arrow. Atala points me in the direction to head and I find myself at the doorway to a very large archery range. Movement from the back corner of the half-lit room catches my attention and I watch as stuffed birds fly and then are pierced and taken down by swift arrows. One by one they all crash to the ground, defeated, and take note of the stationary target's bulls eyes having arrows protruding from every one of them.

I wait until it seems she's out of arrows before I speak, heeding Atala's warning to not sneak up on her now that I know of her talent.

"That's a sharp eye, ya got there, Sweetheart," I compliment to her once her shooting comes to a close. Unfortunately, I was wrong to assume she was empty of ammunition as an arrow soars by my head and pierces itself into the doorframe I was leaning on before I dove out of the way when I heard the twang of the bowstring. "What the hell, Sweetheart! You almost killed me!" I scream at her out of surprise and irritation that I almost lost my life.

"Don't you know not to scare someone with a weapon in their hand, Haymitch?" She asks me calmly with a touch of a lecture in her tone. She walks over to remove the arrow from the wood that she hit. "And I didn't almost kill you."

"Do you see that arrow? You aimed it at me!" I yell at her irritably. How is she so laid back at shooting an arrow at me?

"I noticed it was you before I let it go. If I wanted it to hit you, it would have," she explains to me, confident in her abilities, although I still doubt her.

"Do you expect me to believe that? You can't possibly tell me you never miss." She tilts her chin up at me and I start to rethink what I said. Maybe she doesn't miss.

"I don't miss. You can look at all the pretty birds on the ground with an arrow jutting out of their eyes," she tells me assertively. We walk further into the room together and as she walks to the stationary targets to retrieve the arrows she had shot, I take in the scene of birds at my feet with fascination. This little woman is lethal! Every single damn one of them has an arrow through its' eye.

I look on at Katniss with awe. "Close your mouth, Hay. You're drooling," she quips at me with a smirk.

"Sweetheart…how?" I attempt to ask her how this talent came about but I'm too baffled to come up with the words.

"When you have hungry kids depending on you for food, you learn to perfect what you can do to better the chances of a proper meal being put on the table. My father taught me how to shoot before he died, but I perfected my aim with the pressure of Prim starving," she explains to me with a voice devoid of emotion as if she were talking about the weather.

"Impressive, Sweetheart!" I compliment.

Katniss just shrugs it off. "It's just a way to clear my mind, anymore."

"If you're worried about the case, we made a little leeway today. Not much, but we have something to work with now. Hopefully, it won't be long until we get 'em," I offer in hopes to ease her mind.

She shakes he head at me and sighs. "It's not that, Hay. It's Cato."

I chuckle and she gives me a curious look. "I saw the mark you left on his cheek today at the station," I explain.

"Not that. That was just a misunderstanding. I deserved the comment. I lost it last night," she says in a tired voice. I have a feeling we'll be having a long talk over dinner.

"Let's get out of here and get some dinner. We'll talk while we eat." I help her clean up the rest of her arrows and put the birds back where they belong.

* * *

We pick a small, family owned restaurant around the corner from her work on the outskirts of the historic downtown. I've never been here before, but she said her and Jo come here often. The atmosphere is nice, low lighting and soft music play in the background. It's fairly empty, but that's not unusual for a Monday night. Katniss picks a table for two by the window that has two small, green booths for seating. We sit down across from each other and as I peruse the menu, Katniss takes to staring out the window.

"So what's good here?" I ask her, hoping to get her talking instead of sulking.

"I haven't had anything bad. The soups are good and I've had a few of their sandwiches," she answers bleakly.

I rub my forehead, confused. I can't imagine what happened that has her so distraught. "What is it, Sweetheart? Talk to me."

She heaves a sigh and looks away from the window to rest her head in her hand and meets my eyes. "Last night," she groans.

"What happened last night? Last I heard, things were going well," I prompt her.

"He called me beautiful while I was making dinner," she starts.

"Sweetheart, that's a good thing. It's a compliment and I'm sure he meant it," I explain because I'm stumped as to why that would bother her.

"He did mean it, Hay. I didn't think so, at first, because no one ever says that to me. I mean I barely knew anything about him but we were starting to get along and then he went and said that. He makes me weak around him, Hay, and I hate it," she tells me in a weary voice but the irritation at the end was evident with just one look at her scrunched up, annoyed face.

"You're allowed to be weak, sometimes." This is why I liked her moving in with Blondie. I know she's strong, both mentally and physically, but she shouldn't have to be, at least, not all the time.

"No, I'm not, Hay. I let my guard down so easily around him and I can't help but feel I'll end up getting hurt. Although, he did let me in last night, fully," she alludes.

"He… what?" No way did he tell her his history. I only ever got bits and pieces to put together myself over the years and I know Luke doesn't even know everything and these two basically just met.

She nods her head, reinforcing her comment that he actually did tell her. "He told me everything," voicing her nonverbal actions. I'm completely at a loss. "I had a melt down after dinner and that's when he called me a bitch and I slapped him. When I tried to explain everything, I got even more livid with him and at myself for being weak around him and letting him in and trusting him when he wouldn't trust me and he sat me down and told me everything. I couldn't believe he told me and trusted me after only knowing each other for a few days," she shares, but it sounds more like she's talking to herself. This is going better than I had hoped. This is what I wanted for them. I wanted them to be able to open up and have someone that can understand them. They both need more than just our ragtag group, referred to as family, to relate to.

"This is good, Sweetheart. Why does it upset you?" I can still tell she's bothered by something that I can't understand.

"You don't get it."

"Hi, my name is Jess. May I take your order?" Our waitress interrupts us and I see Katniss go back to staring out the window again, ignoring her. I decide to order two beers and two soup and salad combos for us, knowing Katniss won't want to speak right now.

As the waitress retreats, I turn back to Katniss. "You're right. Explain to me what I'm not getting. I want to understand because I can't help you if I don't," I say hoping she lays it all out for me.

She puts her hands down in her lap and her looks at me for a moment before dropping her face down to look at her hands. She begins to open her mouth to say something but right then, our waitress comes back with our drinks. I begin to sip my beer while waiting for the waitress to disappear so Sweetheart can get talking again. I lift my eyebrows expectantly towards her once the waitress is gone to urge her on and continue to enjoy my cold beverage.

"I'm afraid I'll fall for him," she says simply and her cheeks redden in embarrassment. I sputter and cough as I try to swallow my beer and what she told me at the same time. She looks at me, unconcerned at my coughing but waiting for any response from me to what she said.

"Well," I say, clearing my throat, now in the clear from choking, "what's wrong with falling for the boy?" I ask. Although, right now I think it's a little soon for this to be happening and I remember that certain look I see in Cato's eye when Katniss is mentioned. Shit, this is really going to happen.

"Hay, from your coughing fit and the disbelieving frown on your face, you know there's something wrong with me falling for him, just like I do. It's too soon, and I can't love. Well, can't or don't want to. Either way, I saw what happened to my mom when my father died and I don't want to be that way," she stresses to me. I remember what she told me about her mother, with her leaving Sweetheart and her sister to fend for themselves while she was lost to her depression.

"Katniss, you aren't your mother. You're strong and you're sister being alive and happy are evidence of your strength. Do you think she'd be able to accomplish what she has without you being her rock? You can love, and you do without a second thought. Think of your sister, think of Ryan. You love them, don't you?" I ask her, hoping I can talk some sense into her so she can stop moping.

"Of course I do, but Prim's my sister and Ryan's just a little kid. That's not the same as how I'd feel for Cato," she grumbles back.

"You've been there for three days. You're just getting to know each other. Take things slow and see what happens. You don't need to rush into acting on anything you feel. I just ask that if and when you feel something for him, let yourself. You two are good for one another, no matter what you two become. I think you need each other." I feel like I'm lecturing her but she seems to be hanging on my every word. I just hope I'm telling her all of the right things. I'm new at this fathering thing but I think it's been many years since she's been a daughter so she doesn't have much to compare to and I'd never think of trying to take her father's place.

She smiles at me, finally looking close to happy for the first time I've seen today. "You're good at this, Hay," she reassures me in a small voice as if she were reading my thoughts.

"I'm trying. I'm still a newbie," I smirk.

"And it's been a while since I've been lectured. It sounded good to me," she retorts. "Just give the same lecture to him, will you? It's not me who's going around saying he's beautiful or kissing hi-," she cuts herself off and looks away, blushing furiously and I'm grateful for our food showing up.

"You were saying something about kissing, Sweetheart?" I ask her with a wink, enjoying her discomfort, probably a little too much. She bites into her sandwich to stuff her mouth so she can't speak. "I've never been one for manners and neither have you, so don't think a mouth full of food should suddenly stop you from talking," I prod her, my smirk growing with the redness of her face. "Loving the blush, Sweetheart."

"Not you, too!" She yells at me through a mouthful of food. That's more like the rest of our dinners, I think, smiling to myself.

"Huh? What did I do?" I give her a confused and innocent look.

"That's when he called me beautiful and he kissed me on the forehead last night before I went to bed," she gets out quickly, looking completely humiliated.

"Aw! How sweet of him!" I tease her while chuckling when a french-fry flies my direction.

"Shut up, Mitchy!" She begins to laugh along with me and the tension is completely gone. It's good to see her smiling again. I do note to tell Cato to back off a bit, though. They have too much to work through to go and rush something that could be perfect if, and only if, pursued at the right time.

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**Please review! :) Any type of criticism you have, I'd love to hear it! It's hard to improve as a writer if I'm not sure what my readers like or don't like.**


	17. Chapter 17: Katniss

**Sorry for the long wait! I was busy with finals and everything, but here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please review!**

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Katniss

After dinner with Haymitch, I felt better. Being able to talk to him openly, knowing he's my most trusted friend here, allowed me to look to him for advice and get everything off of my shoulders. I know he wants what's best for me and that's why I permitted myself to seek guidance from him. I think he would have been a wonderful father had his life ever headed down that road and I'll make sure to never take his presence in my life for granted.

I was glad that he didn't bring up Peeta when he asked about loving someone. That was never love. He liked and lusted me, and while I found him attractive and kind in the beginning, my head and heart were never in it. I was thankful of that when his true colors had shown through. He never laid a hand on me violently but his words might as well have been knives for the damage they could to. He wanted me for my purity but, for him, that was something he wanted to conquer for himself. _Like hell, he would._

When I get home I head for the shower, looking forward to the cascading, steaming water to ease my stressed body and mind and to cleanse my doubts and worries. The first thing I notice upon getting home is that it's weird being in this house alone for the first time. I'm still ignorant of what floorboards creek or what door needs greasing. Every sound makes me on edge and I find I can't wait for the boys to come home. Living alone in the apartment, the sounds that it made, yet strange to my ears, never made me jump. Here, though, just the sound of the ice maker downstairs in the kitchen turning off and allowing the ice to fall into its' bucket as I come out of the bathroom upstairs makes me grab for my knife. I need to train my ears to this new home quickly before I end up a complete spaz or, worse, too dependent on Cato being there.

That's another thing that worries me. Ever since my father passed away, I never truly depended on any one. I depended on my parents to be there and look what happened. My father is taken in a car accident and my mother mentally left us. I've relied on others throughout my lifetime, but never solely depended on them, especially for safety and security, and those times I was reliant I had paid them back as best as I could.

I choose to rid myself of those thoughts and decide to clean to keep myself busy. I still have over three hours until they come home. I wipe down the kitchen and set up the coffee for the next morning and as I head down the downstairs hallway looking for the vacuum, I finally come into the formal dinning room in the back of the house and I know the garage is on the other side of the wall towards the front of the home. This is a room I haven't seen yet, as there was no purpose to be in here before. I turn on the lights and I'm bombarded with frame upon frame of pictures hanging on the walls and perched on the mantle above the dry sink, which is centered between two large windows facing the backyard, as well as the hutch. All of the furniture matches the motif of the rest of the house being a more contemporary country style. The dinning table and chairs have a rustic look, an older wood, possibly old barn wood, that's beautifully sanded and polished with matching chairs that have their spindles and legs painted an earthy green to match the painted drawers and cabinets on the other furniture pieces along with the walls. The walls match my bedroom save for the creamy white chair rail in here. Everything looks professionally done but it has a personal touch.

I trail my fingers over the polished hutch, observing that it's been dusted recently, and take in the photos that adorn its flat surfaces. All of them are of Ryan. There's one from the hospital, still in the neo-natal unit it seems, and he has his tiny fingers wrapped around a larger finger. His eyes are closed but there's a tiny smile playing on his pink lips. I can't see whom the larger hand belongs to, but I can guess. The one next to it looks to be shortly after he was brought home, laying in Cato's arms with both of them sound asleep in a rocking chair and both brothers look beyond serene. The photographs are in a particular sequence, dating from his first days to one of them looking fairly recent. Most of them are singular portraits of just Ryan, while others contain Mikey, Cato, or Clove. My eye catches one of Haymitch and Brutus standing together with Ryan sitting on both of their shoulders, smiles gracing each of their faces. I marvel at the collection.

I look on at the other side of the dining room where I came in and observe the neatly placed frames scattered across the wall. These contain pictures of almost everyone I had met at the BBQ my first week here. Many of them, I believe, are candid shots from gatherings and some of their faces make me chuckle the way they were frozen for a moment like that to be forever glanced at now.

The small mantle above the dry sink is what draws most of my attention. There are few photographs on the shelf but they seem very important. In the first one, a tall, tanned, muscular young man stands with a short brunette, both wearing blue caps and gowns. From the young man's icy blue eyes, I know it's Cato and I'm guessing the small girl next to him is Clove. There's something about this picture in particular that bothers me but I move on.

The second photograph is Cato in uniform with Chief and Brutus flanking him. I wonder when this is. Cato still looks very young and very similar to his graduation picture. It must be when he started police training or was a rookie. It's humorous how the three of them stand there, arms crossed, with faux scowls on their faces making them look all too formidable.

The third one is my favorite, by far. Ryan, possibly two or three years old, is up on Cato's shoulders and they're grinning to each other while Brutus, Hay, and Chief surround them looking on at Cato with matching proud expressions towards the two brothers. This must be when Cato must have passed all of his police training. This right here is a classic family portrait. He doesn't have those that were responsible for his original existence around him, but he has proud father figures that support and love him, and a brother that sees him as his hero.

That thought brings me back to the graduation picture. Every other picture, he has a genuine smile and that's what's wrong with this one. It's fake and you can almost feel the tension radiating off him through the glass frame. I wonder when this was. Was Ryan born yet? Was his mother still around? I look back to the third frame and decide this is where his life is now. Surrounded by good people that love and care about him. I can't judge his graduation picture because at least he was there. I never went to my graduation. I had to work to support my sister.

I jump at the sound of my phone ringing from the kitchen, cursing my lack of togetherness as I rush out of the room, turning the light off as I go.

"Hello?" I answer, not checking the caller ID. I hear faint giggles on the line that can belong to none other than my little sister. "Prim?" I say, hoping to get her attention. With no response, I begin to think she dialed by accident so I go to hang up.

"Kat? You there?" I catch just before I hit 'end call.'

"Yeah, I'm here. Everything alright?" I ask.

I hear more giggles followed by her lecturing, who I assume to be, Rory. "Yes, sorry, Rory won't get off of me."

"Prim, I love you, but I don't need to know about that," I sigh.

"I know, sorry. He's gone now. How are you?" She sounds weird. She's usually chirpy and upbeat, but she seems giddier than before.

"I'm good, yourself?" I ask in with a curious tone.

"I'm wonderful! I miss you sis!" Yep. Something is definitely up.

"That's good. So what is it Prim? I can't tell something is off with you."

"Oh, nothing," she airily replies which leads to more suspicion on my part. "When can we come visit? Gale, Rory, and I want to come see you!" Prim ends up whining the last part and I chuckle at her impatience.

"I don't know. I haven't been living here long and I don't think there would be room for you guys to all stay here and it's not my house so I don't even know if I'd have a say in visitors. I'd have to talk to Cato about it," I inform her, hoping to discourage her visiting for a little while. I'd love to see them all, but we're still working through things with the new arrangement and I think it would be too soon to add them into the mix.

I hear Prim huff in frustration, disliking my answer. "Fine. Talk to Cato soon or I'll find a way to contact him myself. I want to meet this guy, as do the boys. You know how they are." I can almost see her rolling her eyes at her new husband and brother-in-law.

"I will," I promise. I have no idea when I'll breach that topic with him, but I'll have to eventually. I know Prim isn't kidding about getting ahold of him herself. She'd probably call the station, knowing he's a police officer.

"Good. Well, I have to get going, but I'll talk to you soon so you can give us an answer," she says with so much authority that I begin to wonder who took care of who all these years.

"Yes, ma'am. Marriage has made you a bossy little woman, Prim! Give Rory my sympathies," I joke.

I hear a chuckle in response, "yes, but with you not around, I've taken to keeping everyone in line," she offers in explanation with a fake sternness in her tone.

"Alright, give everyone my best! Love you!" I tell her whole-heartedly. I really do miss everyone. Especially her.

"Love you, too! I'll talk to you soon!" She hangs up and I look at the clock. I still have over an hour to kill until they're home. A part of me thinks I should have hung out with Haymitch after dinner so I wouldn't have to be alone, which is new for me. I use to be such a loner, but I grew use to his presence after staying with him over those few weeks.

I decide to grab a book and curl up on the couch with a cup of tea to kill the rest of the time and to shake my sisters skeptical behavior. Shortly after I settle into my book my eyes begin to droop.

* * *

_'But Daddy, I don't want you to go!" I call out to my father as he walks down the driveway to meet Mr. Hawthorne. My mother is meekly attempting to hold me back and I easily escape her grasp. I run full force to my father but the scene in front of me is changing. It's not our dirt driveway anymore and the house isn't behind me. What I see is a long stretch of road, wooded hillsides framing the scene. I'm chasing Mr. Hawthorne's truck down the highway and I know I won't be fast enough. Suddenly, there's the screeching of tires and the smell of burnt rubber and the unmistakable and sickening crunch of metal colliding with metal in the distance._

_My feet carry me as fast as humanly possible and my muscles and lungs are aching in protest. What's in front of me when I catch up to the truck makes my stomach roil and my eyes burn with hot tears that flow down my cheeks, landing in a puddle on the pavement. You can't tell the difference of where one vehicle ends and the other begins but then I see movement. I rush closer to the scene and my father is standing there, battered and bloody, so pale and weak that I'm afraid the lightest gust of wind will knock him on his knees._

_'Kat-" he coughs, and drops a knee to the road to steady himself. 'Katniss," he tries again. His face is the definition of anguish and I drop on my knees in front of him to gather his hand in my own. 'What are you doing here, Katniss? You shouldn't be here,' he lectures me, blood dribbling down his chin from his mouth and his familiar grey eyes, so much like my own, are lifeless, empty._

_'Daddy, I came to save you. We just need to get help, please Daddy!' I look around but there's nothing in sight. It's just darkness, no more green hillsides or the gore sodden highway. It's just my father and I as hopeless as ever. 'Daddy! Stay with me, please!' I scream at him but he doesn't seem to register my words and gives me his lopsided smile and for a split second I can imagine that usual sparkle he always had in his eyes to match the grin. A strange sense of calmness comes over me as he tucks a strand of hair, which had fallen out of my braid, behind my ear and cups my tear-stained cheeks with his warm, but bloodied hand. 'I love you, Daddy,' I hoarsely whisper as he disappears but the warmth on my cheek stays, feeling so real._

* * *

"Katniss," I hear a deep voice mutter. I ignore it, only wanting to hear my father murmur my name right now, but then I feel that familiar warmth on my cheek again. I savor it, remembering the way my father cupped my face with so much love only he could exhibit through such the simplest of actions. "Katniss," I hear once more. This time the voice sounds concerned. I slowly let go of the last bits of my dream I was holding onto, regretfully, and ease into consciousness. I open my eyes and blink a few times to clear my eyesight. I find Cato kneeling beside the couch; his hand is on my face. _His hand is on my face_.

"It was you," I roughly get out. My throat is strained and dry and I know I was screaming. I close my eyes, turning away from his observing gaze to have a moment to collect myself. He slowly removes his hand from my cheek, only to move it to rub my shoulder in a comforting way.

"What was me?" He asks, puzzlement written across his features. I just shake my head to never mind my question and I look at him again. Cato's still wearing his uniform and I don't see Ryan anywhere, so he must have taken him straight to bed. "Are you okay?" he asks me once my eyes meet his. I can tell my face is still wet so I sit up from my lounged position on the end of the couch and I try to wipe my embarrassingly damp cheeks dry.

"I'm fine," I croak out. Cato looks at me with a calculating expression but decides to let it drop, for which I'm extremely grateful. "How was work? Did you get Ry to bed?" I ask, hoping to change the subject off of me onto safer ground.

He smiles, showing me I'll get my way this time, "Work was good. We've made a little progress in your case, but Mitch probably told you already, and Ryan's already asleep in bed. I'm sorry you missed him but you'll see him in the morning. He slept the whole way from Clove's, anyways," he reassures me, knowing I liked to say good night to the small boy I've grown very fond of.

I smile at him in thanks. "Yes, Hay told me there was some new development. I don't know the details and to be honest, I don't really care to. I just wish you guys all the luck in bringing them to justice," I tell him sincerely.

He stands up and pats my knee to comfort me once again, "Thanks, we might need all the luck we can get, but don't worry. We will find them." He finishes with such conviction that it's hard to believe otherwise.

"I believe you," I tell him and the look that crosses his face is pure astonishment that I laugh.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just you were so surprised I said that," I explain.

He chuckles and it's such a welcome sound that it makes me smile. "I guess I was," he laughs out.

"Well, I should get to bed, I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for waking me," I mumble. I stand up from the couch and stretch. As I go to walk by him, Cato catches my wrist in a light grip that sends a current up my arm. I look at him anxiously.

Cato studies me for a moment and I'm about to squirm under his steady gaze. "Are you sure you're okay? You seemed pretty shaken," he questions me carefully.

I nod, "I'm okay, really. It was awful but ended better than most, but it's just a nightmare. I'm sorry I screamed," I respond in a soft voice, embarrassed but not as much as I had thought. His genuine concern takes away the brunt of my humiliation.

He traces his thumb in a lazy circle over my wrist before he lets go and I mentally berate myself when I miss his warm touch. "It's better to know you're suffering so I can wake you rather than you suffering through it alone. I don't mind," he reassures me. "Good night, Katniss."

I smile at his kind nature. "Good night, Cato."

* * *

I wake up in a panic at a hand touching my shoulder and my eyes open wide to take in the intruder. Before I can process or say anything, Cato states, "Either you slept through your alarm or you never set it, but you're usually awake before I am. I saw your door was closed when I was going past it so I thought I'd check if you were up. You weren't," he smirks. I smack his hand off and glare at him before getting out of bed to put my robe and slippers on.

"Thank you for checking if I was awake yet," I mutter.

Gleefully, he responds, "you're welcome," in a singsong manner. I roll my eyes at his upbeat mood for this early in the morning and trudge downstairs for my coffee and pour a second one for him.

"What has you in such a chipper mood this morning?" I ask him, repeating those same words he uttered to me Monday morning.

He shrugs his shoulders but I don't get any more of a response other than a shit-eating grin. Why is he acting so weird? This isn't the morning Cato I know. I squint my eyes at him to try and figure him out and he snickers. He's annoying, I conclude. We sit at the table and he's still beaming at me while I grimace.

"Stop it!" I growl at him after a couple minutes of him grinning at me like a lunatic.

"So, I heard from a little birdy that some people are trying to come visit you." I perk up and look him straight in the eye. How would he know that? I groan in realization that I didn't act fast enough and that little birdy is my sister, herself.

"No way did Prim get in contact with you already," I moan, turning my annoyance from him to my sister. They're all acting against me this morning.

"She did," he laughs. "Is feisty a trait in your family?" He teases me.

"Not usually. Just me," I answer, smiling that my sister came off that way. "She was acting strange on the phone last night when I talked to her. I told her I'd speak to you about it. I didn't think she meant that I had to talk to you the next time I saw you before she would act," I explain in apology. "When did she call?" I uneasily ask.

"Last night, shortly after you went to bed. Some how she got Mitch's number and called him for mine. She was determined. Why don't you want them to visit? You could have told me when I got home last night. I don't mind. She's your sister," he clarifies.

"I know she's my sister and I miss them but I've been here for less than a week and I thought it was too soon," I tell him, hoping he understands what I mean.

"Too soon for what?" I guess not.

"Never mind. Where's the closest hotel from here to inform my sister?" I question, hoping to elude having to explain my reasoning behind them visiting so soon.

He gives me a perplexed look. "You're going to make them stay in a hotel?" He shakes his head at me.

"Where else would they stay? It would be Prim, her husband, and her brother-in-law who's my best friend," I convey.

He responds by rolling his eyes at me. "They're family. They can stay here," Cato drawls out slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child.

I laugh. "And where would they sleep? Obviously I'd give my room up and could sleep on the couch. I suppose Gale could crash on the couch as well, but it'd be tight unless he wants to sleep on the floor in my room with Prim and Rory," I speak my thoughts allowed and I see a strange expression cross Cato's face that I don't begin to question. I doubt Gale would be comfortable sleeping with the newly weds and his likely discomfort at that possible situation almost makes me laugh aloud.

Cato looks deep in thought for a moment, frowning as he stares into his coffee. I take the moment to gulp mine down because I wasn't expecting to have to deal with this so early. "I have an air mattress that someone can sleep on. We can work it out. I have the weekend off in two weeks. Why don't you tell Prim to come then?" he solves and continues, "I'd love to meet her. Although she was impatient with you on the phone, she seems like a very sweet girl," he voices, beaming at me again.

I drop my head in my hands. He just resolved everything too swiftly for my liking, but at least that gives us about a week and a half to get more acquainted before my family comes.

"Hey," I hear Cato speak to catch my attention. I look up at him and his eyes are alight. "Everything will be great when they visit. I'm honestly delighted to meet your sister after everything you've told me," he says to reassure me but I can tell he's also being sincere. He gives me that silly half grin of his that I lazily return and we go back to our coffee in silence.

Then something makes me start. I turn to Cato with worried eyes and he looks back with apprehension to hear what alarmed me. "Cato, we can't tell them the reason I'm here," I voice frankly, and hopefully by the frantic look on my face he takes me seriously.

"How come?" He cocks his head at me but I have a feeling he's only asking out of curiosity rather than seriously wanting to tell my family that I was threatened.

"For starters, Gale and Rory would go on a rampage. Then, whether they had success in finding them or not, they'd whisk me back home not giving me a say in the matter. Oh, and Prim would have a panic attack. Three things I do not want to happen so it'd be great if we could just go with the original story I told Prim." I give him a stern look in hopes of him going along with my plan.

"And that story is…"

"That Hay didn't like me living alone and that you needed a roommate," I inform him.

He smiles, "So you still explain things to your grown sister the same way I had to reason with seven year old Ryan for why you moved here. I think I can handle that," he says and I laugh because that's exactly what I did to protect her. Cato winks at me like this is an easy case, but he hasn't met Prim yet. She questions everything.

"You think it's simple, but you just wait," I tip-off that it won't be such an easy task as he thinks.


End file.
